Azimuth

Azimuth it says on the TV screen
as I try to reset the receiver.
How could I have lived
so long and never used
this word?

Ah, Azimuth!
No cousin of behemoth, you,
but measurement of angle
in system spherical.

Ah, Azimuth! Arabic of root,
as-samt, “direction.” When I
look at a star, you are there.
In French you are everywhere,
tous azimuts!.

Ah, Azimuth! You go
from a to z right off the bat,
vectoring observer to interest
point, perpendicular projection
on reference plane.

Ah, Azimuth!
Angle between projected vector
and vector of reference
on horizontal plane.

Ah, Azimuth!
You are not like behemoth.
I couldn’t take behemoth
on a plane. But through
the window of that plane I spot
behemoth
down below.
The vector
from his eye
to me with
reference vector
on the land

makes you.