“This poem is from a numbered book-length series called “Back on Earth,” which I think of as a sequel to my previous book, Journey to the Sun. As the title indicates, the poems in the new book deal much more directly with matters of the here and now—my life, kids, my politics, my thinking as it chews through various interests. In terms of the form, I wanted to push how short a line could be. I thought, Well, isn’t the word the limit to how short a line can get? Then I remembered hyphenation. As to the subject matter, my interest in evolutionary and geological history comes through. I think I’m not alone in finding an odd comfort in long, planetary, and even extra-planetary, timelines right now.”