To demonstrate, two large borrowed globes
from Malby's London:
1 × continents
1 × stars
the size of cartwheels, or a large ship's helm.
Man—moon. Tree to opposite bank.
Distance is no different
between one seaport and the next
and one planet and its neighbour—
or the sun it sails by.
It is only a matter of scales.
Space may be had by the yard.
And we can value it too, in avoirdupois
—each moving bulk in the night's sky—
for these are goods of weight.
The Astronomer Royal brings
the heavens to Earth,
specifically: to Suffolk.
His fingers span continents,
circle stars. A weave he would
have the worth of from the feel.
The locals clap, but cannot touch.
The globes are expensive,
have not been paid for yet.
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