Seesaw into Space

Have you ever seen a seesaw? 
Do you like to ride it high?
Can you bounce and push so quickly
that you almost start to fly?

I would like to tell a story
all about  a seesaw race.
'Twas no ordinary seesaw
for it launched me into space…

My friend Jessica decided:
"We are astronauts, you know.
And this seesaw is a spaceship. 
Let us see where we can go."

I pushed off and started soaring,
but she said: "You call that flight?!"
So she heaved and headed upwards
going fast with all her might.

"That is kids' stuff," came my challenge,
as I sprang into the air.
But she screamed: "I can do better!
Watch me jump and then compare."

So it went until I noticed
that I was not coming down.
I saw Jessica below me
as I flew above our town.

Then I rose above my country.
Next I saw the continent.
I beheld the Earth — our planet.
Oh! It was magnificent!

Very soon the Earth was tiny:
just a distant bluish sphere.
When I spied the planet Venus,
I decided to come near.

What I saw was clouds and darkness.
It looked poisonous and hot.
Venus was a pressure-cooker. 
Fit for living it was not.

Then I left it far behind me,
moving closer to the Sun.
Soon appeared another planet. 
And I'll bet you know which one.

It was Mercury — the smallest
of the inner planet group.
To observe its barren surface
round it I performed a loop.

I saw empty cratered highlands,
and the Sun loomed large and wide.
But I had to move on further
and continued with my ride.

I was getting hot and bothered,
for the Sun was right next door.
I could see its burning gases:
as they blazed, they seemed to roar.

It was big. It was enormous —
full of energy and light.
All the planets spun around it. 
Yes, the Sun was quite a sight!

Round the Sun I catapulted
and away from it I sped.
Then I saw another planet. 
Mars! I thought — the one that's red.

Mars was crisscrossed by long channels.
On each pole was a plateau.
And I wondered if some creatures
might have lived here long ago.

After Mars I flew with caution
past the belt of asteroids.
These were rocks of different sizes
that an astronaut avoids.

Coming up were outer planets.
Jupiter was first in line.
It was huge: all gas and liquid —
like a murky, swirling brine.

It had many moons around it
and seemed very, very hot.
What I couldn't help but notice
was its red gigantic spot.

After Jupiter came Saturn.
There I saw amazing things:
Clinging to this giant planet,
were enormous rocky rings.

Then came Uranus and Neptune:
both were very large and green.
From this far the Sun looked smaller:
like a yellow jellybean.

In the end I swung by Pluto —
a dwarf planet under ice.
It was cold and dark and lonely —
not a place that I’d call nice.

It was time to start the journey
back to Earth where life is good.
How I missed my favorite planet!
This was what I understood.

Even though the other planets
are so interesting to see,
There is nothing living on them
while the Earth is home to me.

As I landed on the seesaw,
I said, "Jessica, my friend,
Can you beat that jump, I wonder?"
She replied: "I can't."  The end.