by Paul VerNooy
Twinkle, twinkle, planetoid
Out so far in inky void
Rocky core with ice encloaked
Your planethood has been revoked
The I.A.U. struck a blow
To the cosmic status quo
They’re not quite sure of your fate
But it leaves us only eight
Was it that your orbit’s tilted
Why you were so rudely jilted?
Could it be your little tryst
With Neptune that’s got them pissed?
Despite the fact you have a moon
Your reputation they impugn.
But take some comfort in their crime–
They’ll all be dead in one year’s time!*
Twinkle, twinkle, far from sun
So long for now, it’s been fun
*One year on Pluto is 248 Earth years
Paul VerNooy wrote this poem when Pluto lost its planethood in 2006.
