On a chilly day of vacant skies
we came to watch the candle rise
by morning sun it took to flight
so men and the heavens could unite

But, our sons and daughters, strong and brave
were too far gone for us to save
there was no time to shed a tear
or give a cry we'd never hear

Across the land the people wept
for hopes and dreams that won't be kept
with ships and men we reach for stars
with blood and tears we mend the scars

But, there'll be a time when the tears are gone
and at that time we must move on
and allow our dreams to be reignited
for Man and Heaven have united.

How quiet it must have been
for you, Michael Collins...
How calm it must have seemed
for you, Michael Collins...
How tranquil you must have felt
up there alone
with no one on the radio,
except for you, Michael Collins...

Doing something no one had done
with no one around to see
because you were in a place no one had been
with no way to share what you saw
because even radios fail that far away from home.
But not you, Michael Collins...

How dark was it in there
with not even the sun to guide your way?
How still was the air
with not even the wind to make a sound?

How many times did you ask yourself,
Michael Collins,
if you would ever see home again?
How many times did you think to yourself,
Michael Collins,
that you might not ever again
see the faces you remember?

On that clearest night,
did the stars not seem brighter than before?
Upon coming into the sun again,
did you,
Michael Collins,
not feel lighter than before?

It must have been strangely startling
to have been startled by that strange crackle
coming from the radio.
For another human voice to sound so foreign
yours must have been a lie.

How did it feel leaving that void,
Michael Collins,
and crashing back into existence?
How soon did it feel,
to you, Michael Collins,
that your feet were back on the ground?

I imagine you must miss that silence.
...
I imagine you must
from time to time
walk far far away
and look at the stars.

I would ask you one question if I could,
Michael Collin,
on the clearest night
when you look up into that darkness
have the stars ever been brighter than before?

These bright minds,
reaching further
and further
into space

As if there aren’t enough
problems
down below

Maybe they’re simply trying
to get away,
just like the rest of us

Mower, with NASA shirt
I wonder what you are thinking
As you hold that handel
As the engine roars
As the grass goes flying
As you enter orbit.

tiny scream
under my boot
  first step on Mars

her perfume tells stories of ambient destruction
and i always kiss her good night in bed
struggle to keep watch
keep my eyes open and in the clear
but every morning she's disappeared
a fading memory that claws to be set free
stuck somewhere between reality and fantasy
somehow trapped between unspent love and unleashed fear
familiar warmth on your pillow
were you just here?
a flash
and i remember the welcome in your eyes
in your summer dress smile
wow, that smile
i would build a rocket with my own two hands
plant your precious smile for all the world to see
right up there
on the silvery moon
wait,
where am i?
it's dark
oxygen alarm blares
hear my breath inside the visor
i startle awake
open my eyes
realizing
it's morning
no gravity
and it's me
not you
that's not really there.

full flower moon
in its halo -
the space station

the rocket launch;
inside Orion
a new star

I'm a rose born from a ravenous roar
A butterfly bolted to the back of a bull
I paint the truth in cosmic kaleidoscopic dye
Granting eternal life to an ancient beckoning sky
They call me the Hubble
"we will never forget" they cry
Before terrestrial fire bids me goodbye
And one final glimpse of your magnificent azure sky.