from his eyrie 300km above the earth
his spent, irradiated seed was sown
like freckles on the face of God
all eyes trained upon it
orbital telescopes, lunar observatories, radio arrays
our pockets stuffed with gray-blue tufts of lint
and hands thrust down in hope dejected
having done all we could this day
the leaves-taking of things grown on the fringe
and flung at the unknown
dreams to be explored
each must reach their apex, he said, and still ascend
sails cupped to catch the solar breeze and drink
this Golden Age to the lees, "Farewell!"
as inertia driven they conserve fuel
theirs and our vision plunged into the navel
here thrown away in a gesture characteristically human
with laughter in the face of it all
curious, at death's door, of what hopes and sorrows
for trans-humanity that tomorrow may bring
because of this thing we did today
the choice we made
for all the good that it may do
