The moments that it takes to cross a bridge
can change a life. An inner gulf was spanned
tonight as I surveyed the neon dice, suspended
above oily tides, then raised my eyes to haze
where stars and planets smouldered
through detritus of a murky day. Earthbound
meanings slipped away, as space dictated
form to mass.
.......................Courage comes in many guises,
yet, when masks are stripped away, we recognise
its features, although names resound in different
tongues. The past gave us mythologies to conjure
with - Apollo and Prometheus, children of the sun;
Theseus, who grasped fear by the horns to brave
the labyrinth, conquering the psyche's monsters
of his time and place.
..................................................Even then,
the dialogue between the spheres was audible -
Earth conversed with Jupiter and Venus, with
the Moon and Mars, and deities were creatures
of the firmament. The Greek immortals ruled
the seas and skies, subduing us to them; awe
was fundamental to humanity.
................................................Perversions
such as war are with us still, but battles must
be fought in different ways. The blind person
who crosses roads invests courage with grace.
What then of those who risk their lives in space?
For those who go beyond all known bounds
there must be special names. The spirit recognises
and salutes them; words cannot keep pace. Cosmonauts
stir echoes of the argonauts of yesteryear. But more:
they represent our fears, our dearest hopes, our Rubicon -
the bridge between what we have been
and what we might become.