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An Astronaut's Broodings

By: zain_akuji (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Competition Year: 2017
Votes (3) | Comments (0)
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In a city quenched in glass, he sojourned.
Upon early wake, his vigour had dawned.
Venture forth did Man, destiny at hand,
Into the sunburnt steppes of Kazakhstan.

He found himself bearer of an ancient strive,
To man a vessel, reach the heavens alive.
From young to old did all zealously vye,
Crave, and call to pierce this temptress sky.

Civilisation was nowhere in sight,
But towering ahead unveiled their might.
He chastened before the vertical ship,
And hastened ahead to its trenchant tip.

He bestrode upon its white throne, supine,
stagnant, awaiting the world to fleet by.
Gripped by legions of thought, of joyful fright,
of what lies in wait, he found little respite.

The countdown ensued, like the crescendo
It rose, as did he, when mission was go.
Earth was overcome at Gagarin's Start,
The stellar unknown beckoned them apart.

At long last, journey's end had him greeted
With curiosity, it went heeded.
Blind to the harrowing beauty outside,
He peered into the colossal void.

He ceaselessly scoured and bore witness
to blackness and Earth's foregoing greatness.
The erstwhile sky in its ancient splendour,
Glorified by Atlas' hand, now but a
Blue shimmer, paled by the grander abyss.
We saw in our toil an end teemed with bliss.
But, beguiled by the night, we failed to see
The theatre, the seat of our own tragedy.
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