Classifying Galaxies

The galaxy is simply smooth and round
with nothing odd? I choose that: nothing odd.
There's nothing odd except that I am here
on this old chair upon familiar ground
assessing images of faraway 
and long ago that no one's ever seen 
until today, 
on screen.

No one but me has ever judged it round; 
not shaped like a cigar nor in-between; 
assessed it neither merging nor disturbed.
As dull as any galaxy I've seen; 
it has no lens nor ring nor spiral arm
and nothing like a dust lane or an arc.
Without a charm, 
quite stark.

Good- looking galaxies are much like girls
with trailing tresses tossing out to space
and brilliant bulges clothed in starry whirls: 
a hundred thousand million stars in place.
Yes, they had girls; who many times evolved, 
became extinct and started up again. 
They had enlightenments, renaissances…
Men loved and died until love died with men, 
again and again
and again and again…