the view
of earth hovering
so many miles away
i could reach out
pluck it up
and slip it
into my pocket

which i imagine
would make for
one helluva fright
as everything
was suddenly
plunged into darkness

i can almost
lose myself in
this flight of fancy
if it weren’t for
the incessant beep
reminding me
my oxygen levels
have depleted

i don’t look back
at the capsule
drifting away
into the endless
emptiness all around

so far away i know
the trails in the woods
the cool creek filled
with trout down near
the berry bushes which
always carried a threat
of hungry old bears
where a couple dumb kids
risked life and limb
to steal their first kiss

and the cemetery where
one of those dumb kids
was buried far too young
along with every piece
of the other dumb kid
ever felt was worth a shit

tears dance in my helmet
close enough to kiss
yet still obscured by
the dancing black spots
filling the incredible
field of wonder before me

as the beeping mercifully
fades into the white noise
i hope she knew exactly
just how fucking mu