Columbia’s Lament

Columbia's Lament
Written with all due respect to the crew of the Columbia, their survivors and friends.

I wondered & marveled of other lands and went forward with my dreams. Reaching my dream lands with what I thought were setbacks, awakened other schemes.

So I explored jungles & oceans and ?'lo and behold', my spirit soared!
Leaders & followers as one - no one could resist our horde.

There was nothing I could not accomplish with fixed confidence of my dreams.
What the circle of life could not accomplish, false prophets filtered through the seams.

Ever since my cave days, I saw outer space in the corner of my eye,
Waiting for an indeterminate amount of time, so that my soul could fly.

The heavenly stars above beckoned me since my discovery of fire.
Yes, I've died but yet I live on. Don't I exist forever? So who then is the liar?

With my great accomplishments, why then are the heavens denied me?
Am I not balanced though war and peace assail me?

I must find someone to blame for stifling my self-made horizons.
I can't blame God - He's not around - and each other wastes daughters & sons.

I rush now with mindless scrambling - possessing & building & creating an unseen vortex.
So why is my life a carousel, whose never-ending ride seems complex?

It seems I cannot run far enough even to the seeming traitorous space,
To answer questions of life and conquered lands for peace - finally won - reveals it weightless grace.

Will it be too late to realize that every question one can ponder
Is/was to start and end within ourselves - THAT - being life's wonder?

When all the screaming suffering is done and life is put on eternity's shelf,
Will it be too late to realize the only REAL unconquered land was - the SELF?

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Author's note: I wrote this with a very heavy heart and was torn within as I kept in mind the crew, the survivors and friends as well as my deep desire to convey a very important message contained within this poem. I hope you can see why.


Truemale
Copyright 2003 "Truemale"