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Given the current tensions between U.S. and Russia this one could be prophetic.
Legacy
After three decades of faithful service
it fell from the sky, the most brilliant
shooting star ever created by man.
Visible in the midday sun
glowing, burning, flaring gloriously
above the Pacific ocean.
Who could forget Canadian Commander
Chris Hadfield with his Larrivee guitar
singing David Bowie’s Space Oddity.
Or the near drowning in space
of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as the helmet
of his thirty-five-year-old suit filled with water.
As this dying star crosses the sky we are
compelled to remember the glowing embers and ashes
of Columbia that fell on the Lone Star State.
And that silent horrific fireball
of convoluted smoke trails
Challenger left above Florida.
We envision brilliant images of Earth at night,
vast blue oceans, deadly cyclones
and a sunrise every ninety minutes.
We acknowledge all that has been accomplished
through cooperation, effort, and sacrifice
by this International Station in Space
and we recognize that this was only
our first small step into the cosmos.
Our duty is to honor its legacy.
Kenny A. Chaffin – 1/9/2014
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