A Voyage of Infinity

This is an eight part poem I wrote about a man named Captain Andenken. The poem changes from 3rd person to 1st at part four.

~I. The Wilhelmina~

In silence she speeds through space
Planets and stars thousands times larger
Sit in an infinite corner letting her pass by

Her thrusters blaze a blinding blue
So bright in the vast emptiness she travels through
So subtle from the rock below that feet are planted on


Oh, Wilhelmina
Where will you go?
The skies are no limit
Infinity isn't even the beginning of it


Captain Andenken stands on the bridge
His new rank positioned proudly on him
He watches as his ship glides through silk sheets of space

The awesomeness and mystery of it all
Brimming on the lenses of his eyes
He smiles as he leans foward in his seat as the Wilhelmina speeds on


Oh, Wilhelmina
Where will you go?
The skies are no limit for you
Infinity isn't even the beginning of it


The crew man their stations
The experienced and the novice
Veterans and fresh cadets
Work side-by-side in unbroken harmony


Oh, Wilhelmina
Where will you go?
The skies are no limit for you
Infinity isn't even the beginning of it


~II. Disress Call~

The faint beep signalling a transmission rings through the synthetic atmosphere
In the background the equipment of every station buzzes in synergy
Seconds later his name is called and the captain turns his head
The communications officer reveals the distress signal of the Reuevoll
The captain points to the main viewer

Fire and sparks entwined together shoot into view on the other end
Panic and heartbeats can be heard amongst the chaos in the burning background
An old man wearing a tattered captain's uniform pleads for rescue
"We have suffered a total systems failure, the hull is bending inward
We plead for evacuation. Anyone?"


Static consumes the transmission
The main viewer falls back
To the planet Gier and its moons

Pinpointing its location
Communications sends them
Traversal recieves and engages


On the dark side of Gier there is a field of debris scattered across its length
A cloud of failure and remorse hangs restlessly over the crew, dense and brewing
The storm it's producing builds and swirls above the Wilhelmina, grasping her
With no realization of what's happened to the Reuevoll and what's about to to them
The captain orders to remain in orbit and investigate


Static consumes the communications link
The main viewer begins to flicker
Back to its default solid black

Confusion envelopes the entire crew
Any reason alludes the captain
The computer no longer responds


"Attention! Attention! Red Alert! Red Alert! Red A-"

The computer screams, the engines whirring
The hull is bending and fear is stirring

Cast in a menacing red light
Feeding the fear
Exacerbation

Escape pods fill beyond capacity
Feeding the panic
Suffocation

Somehow he finds himself in a pod
Pushed inside in the confusion
Unable to go down with his ship
His pod is the first and only to leave


~III. Remnants~

Pushed forward and thrown far away
A lone bullet launched by a self-destructive gun
The barrel is broken and the shell is all that remains
Floating in orbit around Gier
The only sign a pod was ever launched


~IV. Float~

I wake to the gentle hum
The computer emanates
The air is clean and pure
Purged of the smoke I remember

 

Regaining awareness
Of my situation
Of my surroundings


My heart collapses
Where is my ship?
Where is my crew?
Peering through the only screen
Gier is no longer in view

 

I stand up and recognize
The pod is small but big enough
I take a seat and a deep breath
All the while the computer hums
So innocent


My heart collapses
Where is my ship?
Where is my crew?
Peering through the only screen
Gier is no longer in view


I activate the traversal station
Accessing my coordinates
A beep of denial breaks
The stable ambiance

The computer speaks so soothing
Its voice so human yet so cold
It tells me it is damaged
But it can function well enough
To keep me alive
To maintain life support and shields
But can it?
But can she sustain my humanity?


~V. How Long Has It Been?~

I grab hold of my tangled beard and pull
I haven't felt physical pain in so long
The tears I taste are so sour sweet
Crying on the clean floor I sleep


~VI. Homesick~

In space, no one can hear you scream
No one can hear you cry
You can be as sad or insane
As you please


Is it just me?
Or do you feel it as well?
She must sense something
Stranded we are


In space, no one can feel the warmth
From the heart and memories
Pummeled and thrown beneath the waves
Cold water envelopes me

In here, I can associate
With your mechanical heartbeat
Your wiring and your humanity
Both of us made by man


Is it just me?
Or do you feel it as well?
Deep inside your circuits
Does it burn like hell?


We'll never see them again
Our only surroundings, the stars around us
And its only time 'til we meet one up close

It's only time
I'm counting the seconds, the minutes, the hours, the days, the months, the years,
The light from the stars to the sensors of my eyes


~VII. Hello Flagg, I've Been Waiting~

When the oxygen is depleted
And my head begins to slip
Falling off of my shoulders
Will I settle in?


Closer now I can feel the sun
Piercing the shields around
Maintaining minimal efficiency
Trying to hold her steady
Sucked in toward oblivion, and the computer
She dies

No longer drifting through
The dreary bleakness of space
A plastic toy rocketship
In a frantic child's grip
Hurled toward the concrete floor I unwillingly approach the reluctant end


When the oxygen is depleted
And my head begins to slip
Falling off of my shoulders
Will I settle in?


I see the solar waves
The star hurdles at my craft
The shields are gone and they scrape along
Tearing the metal to shreds
Life support sustains me barely; the air grows stale


When the oxygen is depleted
And my head begins to slip
Falling off of my shoulders
Will I settle in?

 

I'm left alone to wonder
In my final minutes of life
Telling myself that I'm prepared
But lying can't mask the truth
I sit in my seat with my face buried in my cold hands


When the oxygen is depleted
And my head begins to slip
Falling off of my shoulders
I settle in


A ruthless rattling, I am flung from my chair
I stand up shakily and grab the guard rail
My eyes gravitate toward the main viewer
Much like my ship gravitates toward destruction

There's no mast to tie myself to
There's no way to resist the pull
I steady myself and wipe the sweat from my face
Staring death in its bright, blinding eyes


~VIII. Letting Go~

Purple and black meshed together
Holding hands in a nightmare's fever
The metal debris all around me
In company I feel less lonely
As we drift through eternity

Reviews

[Flame DM]

this was very long but it was worth the read. you capture imagry very well and the repetition in the beginning of ths stanza:

Oh, Wilhelmina
Where will you go?
The skies are no limit for you
Infinity isn't even the beginning of it

i liked the best

also i just loved the tragic story that unfolded

Flame

[Philosophile. (Maddy)]

Loved the imagery here and this poetic tragedy through space. You become Andenken seamlessly when he begins to speak, and I could feel his confusion and that small sense of distance he places between himself and his fate. Great job with this!