Eulogy
(For Dennis Lamenti)
I sing a song for this brave man,
curious and kind,
whose laughter burst from deep
within his ample heart.
Warrior of formulas and codes,
he traced the mathematics
of the stars, with wonder,
through his ancestors’ eyes,
And studied the tracks of science
to divine his way anew
along the sacred path,
out of the common desert.
Who could doubt the worthiness
of this proud man?
Who did not see those constellations
twinkling in his eyes?
Hair pulled back in a ponytail,
“I am Diné,” he would say,
And now the spirit of this wise man
flies beyond the galaxies,
speaking distant legends
few of us will ever hear.
This was published on line by the American Astronomical Society as part of Dennis Lamenti’s obituary.