Conquering the Moon

(A Toast to Chandrayaan-3: Reflections)

Tonight,
We will conquer space —
that space that still remains uninvaded
by warships: that space which nations
have yet to slice: that space which stretches
beyond the layer that creates our skies.

Ancient debris from Earth chipped by the
flight of a comet lights up our lives with
moon-rays. It has water on the south side.
Flags and wars scar, destroy. Will these
leave the silence of the space at peace?

The moon is now in our grasp…Mars… almost.
Will the sun, the stars, the nebulae be
within our clasp? Will they also shine
only for humans and no other kind?
Or will humans turn humane in the space race?
It is after all only survival that matters.

Sans homo, sans sapien, the space still stays.
The suns, the moons, the stars may last an eternity in human age.
Humans — can they aspire to outlive outer space?

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Image: Rajasekhar Chandram