Heroes All

This is written to honor the astronauts who have died in the US NASA space program. There have been seventeen. On January 27, 1967 Apollo I burned on the launch pad killing Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. On January 28, 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds from lift-off killing seven. Today, February 1, 2003 the Columbia exploded and seven more died. The fourth and fifth weeks of the year are astronaut killers.



Heroes All

Apollo I,
Destroyed by heat greater than the sun,
A capsule flamed.
On the launch pad the acclaimed:

Gus Grissom, second American into space
A runner in the moon race
Who dropped a baton
Then picked it up and won.
Heroes All.

Ed White
What a sight
To space walk around our planet,
Then be taken for granite.
Heroes All.

Roger Chaffee
Never got to see
The wonders of the cosmos
Before you were taken from us.
Heroes All.

The Challenger,
Oh, caused quite a stir.
For a 73 second flight,
What a national blight.

Francis Scobee, Judith Resnick
And Ron McNair, died in the air.
Gregory B. Jarvis
Might be alive if...
E.S Onizuka, Michael J. Smith,
And teacher Christa McAuliffe
Heroes All.


The Columbia today
Spread the sorrow and dismay,
When it disrupted in flight
In the early morning light.

Commander Rick Husband,
He was one.
William McCool , David Brown,
No longer around.
Kalpana Chawla and Dr. Laurel Clark
Made their mark
As did Michael Anderson
And the Osirak destroyer Ramon.
Heroes All.

They all dreamed of outer space
Where they could look down
At the one human race
And not frown.
Heroes All.
Heroes All.

I can trace my lineage back to King Lear's fool, so it is genetic.
Nick

Thank you for this beautiful tribute, we all need to know that as one they are now. These lines hold the dreams of those who have passed and those who still dream of the unknown........

"They all dreamed of outer space
Where they could look down
At the one human race"


Gem



"A pity about the people! they are brave enough comrades, but they have heads like soapboiler's.-Schiller- Wallenstien's Lager. XI. 347

*wipes heavy tears away* Thank you Nick. I really don't have much else to say, this was beautiful and I knew someone would post a poem lickety-split. Who else better than you? I said to myself. Thank you.

belesprit

____________________________________________________________________________

May all the maidens out there continue to wait with hearts of hope and may all the knights out there remember the love once found in the sunset.
C 2002 VoiceOfTheStars
Don't Click Here.

This is a very well thought out tribute; I am very impressed. I was very touched to see that you went all the way back to the first major tragedy for NASA. Nice job.

Nick-

What can I say, except the fact that this was a brilliant portrayal of the Heroes that lost their lives today and in times past. Thank you for giving them the title of hero that they deserved.

always ~
duDette (kari)
~~~~****~~~~
"this is my family...i found them..all on my own...it is little and broken but still good..yea still good"~Stitch

Wow...I'm really left speechless. My TV has been on all day, and even though the same thing is replayed, I can't turn it off because I'm afraid I will miss something. Your poem is amazing...that sounds like a vague word, but you really have written a unique "memorial" to all who have been lost.

Would you mind if I printed this out and stuck it by my bed in my dorm room? Naturally I'll give you all the credit, but I won't do it unless you give me an okay.

Either way, thank you for a beautiful poem. You really made me teary...

Love, AmyBeth

First of all, it is so nice to see you posting again, it has been too long!
Secondly, you have touched my heart with your wonderful tribute to all the heroes who have lost their lives for the sake of all men.
The entire world grieves together for such a tragic loss. Your words help bring us all together in a time where we all can only ask....why. Thank you Nick, thank you. PJ

I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance - e e cummings

Surgeon50- Nice to see you around and posting. A great tribute to all austronauts who risked their lives and died. What touched me most, was how well you managed to include the names of each individual, in each tragedy. Thankyou, for making me remember those who contributed greatly to science and perished in their endeavours. Keep writing.

best wishes,
~Hope~

Nick,

Beautiful tribute..
The picture of those who died in Columbia can be seen here.

Thank you for sharing! Wonderfully written.


--------Sanya--------

Do what you think and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.-Richard Bach

Strange, is it not? that of the myriads who Before us pass'd the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us of the Road, Which to discover we must travel too. - Omar Khayyam -Peace-

Left speechless- what a wonderful tribute- and what a perfect way to describe it. Really great work Surgeon50- it was perfect.

They all dreamed of outer space
Where they could look down
At the one human race
And not frown.
Heroes All.
Heroes All.


Your ending was really strong- one of those things that made me cry. Thank you so much.



-A friend

*Precise Imagination*

We want to stand upon our own feet and look fair and square at the world - its good facts, its bad facts, its beauties, and its ugliness; see the world as it is and be not afraid of it. Conquer the world by intelligence and not merely by being slavishly subdued by the terror that comes from it. -Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not A Christian

More passionate words have never been so true! Congratulations my friend, in the midst of this tragedy you have shined so brightly immortalizing those who truly deserve it.

From the desk of THE COLD POET

A man said to the Universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the Universe,
"The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation!."

Nice tribute there, my friend. I considered writing something, but I was not up to the task. Heros All is a fitting description. Lets all pray that there are no more names to be added in the future.

Ken

There is no distance on earth as far away as yesterday. Robert Nathan

A remarkable salute to the history of space catastrophes.Informative and descriptive,...using a clever analogy of events.

It takes a special mind to get this close.

I sidestep the either/or choices of logic, and choose both.-Ken Feit

Very nice tribute. Since I wasn't even alive during the Challenger, I trust what I read, and this has to be one of the best tributes I've read about any space "accident". Great job.

A Writer



Smile. Tomorrow could be a lot worse.

Good that you included the names-acknowledgement. Nice message, nice tribute, nice writing style. I also like the 'off-poem' lines as I might call them: "The fourth and fifth weeks of the year are astronaut killers.".
~Have the intention...the power would be supplied...~-me, Letswriteandshare.

I’m sure it couldn’t have been said better by anyone.
Heroes All

Jack

Beautiful, touching, superbly-written piece. I loved the last stanza. Amazing!

Kudos.

Beautiful words, Surgeon. Your words touch the heart and honor the souls of those who have been taken. Thank you.

-Hellsangel

Bumping… February 01, 2004…
Thanks for the tribute, surgeon50.
[The search engine and Original Writers’ club don’t seem to get along well .. I’m bumping the two poems I can recall (this and Thenostromo’s "Down From Heaven")… if there are more, let us know and read them.]
Peace~
Let’s keep the spirit burning and the hope (may our heroes be at peace) alive~

The stars shine down And watch us live Our little lives and weep for us. ~by Monet Nodlehs