An Ode to Pluto, Upon Its Demotion From Planethood

[quirkybird]

Oh, distantmost friend,
with an orbit elliptic,
our friendship, though brief,
has been needlessly cryptic;

It seems that you've worn
a succession of faces -
and sometimes, abruptly,
you even switched places,

with Neptune, to upset
astronomy classes,
who frowned at their figures
through coke-bottle glasses.

We theorized on you,
a phantom of reason,
and then you burst forth,
like a pheasant in season -

For many years thence,
we've been levelling rifles,
in hopes to restrict you
with semantic trifles---

to pluck you from heaven,
and clip off the wings
which lifted you up
to an order of things

which now we define
as the "planets", of type
so minute or so catholic
they don't rate the hype.

And at last we've succeeded:
you drift now, demoted,
midst fellows who,
at the announcement,
all gloated -

But know this, our favorite
ex-body celestial:
we always shall love you,
with blindness terrestrial.