The Southern Pinwheel is thought to possess
a nucleus double or dual core
due to how it happened to coalesce
as barred spiral galaxy; furthermore,

even though impressive the dark dust lanes
and blotches of gas both in blue and red,
M eighty-three, thus the science explains,
is half size or less of Milky in spread.

Still a massive spiral of grand design
it's near fifteen million light-years away
from the earthly dramas humans enshrine
and changeable roles they constantly play.

Discovered in seventeen fifty-two
amidst stelliferous skies retinue,
denoted spiral weak-barred in debut
when its loosely wound arms were brought to view,

the galaxy seems mysterious yet.
Did it interact with a dwarf bizarre
within the last billion years to beget
starburst enterprise in its repertoire?

To add to the image's divers charms,
sidereal forming is more intense
along leading edge of the spiral arms,
as was predicted in wave theory dense.

Knowledge is evermore being revised
while notions outmoded may be excised
as new understandings are realized
and a deeper discernment crystalized.

Man wants to colonize all that is seen
from the ocean beds to the realms in space
ofttimes with a shallow perspective mean
in a narcissistic hubristic race.

The imperative territorial
would seem built in to our primary scheme,
but if we'd have more than memorial
humankind must embrace a vaster dream.

So let this galactic pinwheel inspire
us mortals to more enlightened desire
to deepest of deep awareness acquire
before from the living we must retire.