Sunlight on Jupiter

It’s five in the morning
and there is sunlight on Jupiter,
a bright speck
to the naked eye
just north of the hazy crescent moon.
I can discern no visible detail
on this distant gas giant.
Did I spot Ganymede,
did I spot Io?
Did I spy Europa
possible bearer of life?
Oh, are these specks,
tiny Jovian moons
still larger than luna
in our southern sky?
are they a trick of my eyes
and my active imagination?
Because what I see
is a tiny white orb
in my telescope lense.
Mars is not visible this morning.
Some days it is directly west;
a tiny red dot
several million miles closer.
Closer still.
But this morning
there is sunlight
awash on Jupiter
though my sky is dim.
I look on the bright side,
another creation of God
distant to me
but a footstep away.
I cannot see a red spot,
the size of three Earths,
nor the thick cloud bands
which Jupiter is famous for.