How to Call Proxima Centauri
Hail him by ham radio,
aiming the transmission
out toward Centaurus.
Settle down comfortably.
An eight-and-a-half-year lag
slows conversation.
So be neighborly,
but not impatient.
Thank him for dropping by.
Be tolerant of his temper,
the sudden flare-ups,
the awkward silences.
For the next 25,000 years,
he's the closest we’ll get
to companionship.