One Small Step

Was looking through old poetry today and found this. Written 4 years ago, 50th Anniversary of man's landing on the moon. Tells where I was, but my question, where were you and do you remember?

 

 

“I believe that this nation should commit itself, 

to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, 

of landing a man on the moon and returning him 

safely to the earth”  (excerpt)

John F. Kennedy, 25 May 1961

 

On this day in sixty-nine

  a feat advancing all mankind,

fulfilling Kennedy’s statement uttered,

longings of man for millennia muttered,

a culmination for those who dream,

milestone achievements to most unseen,

acknowledging those who paved the way,

they who wouldn’t see the day.

 

“That’s one small step for a man,

one giant leap for mankind.”

 

At 12:56 Armstrong voiced those

  now famous words to

  a searching, turbulent world was heard,

footprints made on lunar soil,

hundreds of thousands in human toil

  given that he make that giant leap,

future missions, explorations deep.

Aldrin and Collins were there too, but

  they would have a different view.

 

Where were you on that day,

did you hear the words he’d say?

Four years of age, from a hospital bed

  with no idea of things seen or read,                     ,

my legs in plaster, broomstick

  literally holding apart, but

  life ahead was my start,

my mum, her mum, a hired tv, but

  have no memory of what I’d see,

this event marks my way,

memories where I was on that day.

 

One giant leap ....

but little do we give thought

  to technologies space travel brought,

we use them all by the day

  in many, many different ways,

around these our world exists,

through trials and countless checklists,

so when you look to the sky

  just remember those that fly.

 

 

 

Richard M 

21 July 2019

Reviews

[Carola]

i was 15 years old then & i think, but not sure, that we got our first B & W TV a bit later in 1961.
i've heard it said that our current mobile phones have more technology in them, than what they had back then for space travel & moon landings.
cheerio carola

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Thanks for your memory
I was ten and home from school for eight weeks after being very ill in hospital with osteomyelitis of my leg
My mum carried me into the lounge and I watched it with her and my grandfather I’ll never forget that day
Thanks for your write !

[Richard M]

Thank you Julie for reading. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you also, for responding and telling of your memories of that day. I so love hearing other people's stories.
Richard