Sometime around 9 PM, on March 29, 1997, looking northwest over Donner Summit, altitude 7000 feet or so, exposure approximately one minute, instrument a Pentax (a gift from my dear friend Mark Yerby, M.D.), aperture 5.6, 100 mm lens, tripod wobbly, fingers cold and tremulous, I caught the comet.

Gotcha

A poem by

John M. Friedberg

On the occasion of "capturing" the Hale Bopp Comet on Tri-X film on Donner Summit. 3/29/97

Big.

Please.

Glossies.

I caught the comet,

grazing conical trees.

I got the shot

in grainy black and white.

(Took all night.)

Enter monster.

(Stage right).

"Pardon meee

Caseiopeee.

I'm the monster

they call

'the dirty snowball.'

And who am I,

To disagreee?"

"But

wait and see

mee

recycle

you.

Very big.

And

OH SO GLOSSY.

Says he.

To Comet Catcher.

(Me).

Questions?

Comments?

Write me at

DrJohn@idiom.com