108. The Space Race

When the red haired man came to office
He gave us challenges.
He challenged the Soviets in Cuba.
He challenged his citizens.
He challenged us in a race to the moon.
Soviets started with Sputnik.
Then we started our own with animals and, finally, people.
We made great headway
The modules slowly developed
As Gemini became Apollo
The race continued onward.
Sprinting into the future.
Armstrong was selected for the mission.
The rockets blasted off.
They landed,
He stepped onto new soil.
One small step for man
And a giant leap
Into the future.
The flag was planted and footprints preserved.
The quietness of space was different
From the chaos at home.
May that chaos never disturb the silent peace of space.
Instead of shouting from the mountaintops like the sun wanted,
We quietly looked in awe at the fragile beauty of the earth.
Before the red-haired man’s dreams could come true,
A bullet from the books
Sent him away.

7. The Moon

As the master smiled and admired his work

The sun burst in and made a new demand.

“Make the gem a double,” she said.

“I want a beautiful pearl to go with my blue marble.”

“It must shine when I look at it.”

“It must hide my face when I want to show off my vibrant crown.”

“It has to be something that everyone will be talking about for ages.”

“Something that will be looked at for millennia.”

“Something they will do anything to get.”

“I want them to reach for my pearl because it’s hard”

“Not because it’s easy.”

“So that when they do reach out to grab it”

“They can stand up and triumphantly say they did it.”

“I’d like a few for the other gems too.”

At the sun’s demands a look of anger crossed the forge master’s face.

He took a Mars and hurled it with all his might.

The Mars flew toward the gem.

The two molten planets collided.

A great splash of hot, liquid metal came forth.

That last hammering made the gem smaller

The molten metals flowed out and slowly clumped together

An even smaller gem was formed.

The forge master smiled at how things turned out.

His gem continued to cool as it hardened.

The larger planet slowly cooled as well.

He made sure to skillfully hammer each piece.

Black patches of rock came back to the surface.

The gem was formed but not complete.

It needed color.

2. The Big Bang

Darkness and nothingness.

Forever and ever.

Only void.

Nothing physical.

Only spiritual.

No time, no matter, nothing.

Then, a point of light.

A small egg of early universe.

The atom to start all atoms.

The light to start all light.

A voice.

It speaks.

The light expands.

Racing through the blackness in an instant.

Light, energy, heat, matter, all expanding forever outward.

Continuously growing, growing, growing.

The crucible is poured and the mold is set.

The die is cast.

God’s plans set in motion.

As tiny strings vibrate,

Quarks and neutrinos rotate.

Neutrons, protons and electrons assemble and cooperate like the unseen parts of a machine.

The universe cools.

Lightest materials come first.

Hydrogen, Helium.

They continue to form.

Clouds of gas and dust swirl around.

The universe consolidates.

We grasp the physical.

We hypothesize the making of the stage

But know nothing of the unseen hand.

We cannot see

The mysterious collisions of membranes

Causing echoes rippling through time and space.

Is the universe expanding?

Is it shrinking?

What’s the purpose to all of this?

Nothing is revealed.

No one knows.

No one is here to know.

There will be someday.

Born from the mold of the early universe

Constructed to do great things.

They will unlock the great secrets.