Space Travel

As quickly as hurried light
That we are told is as fast as matter gets,
As slowly as the tortoise
Who purportedly always wins-
Inwardly
Outwardly
To explore our own depths
Or the far reaches of
Outer imagination-
Space Travel is quite real.
The shuttle and the easy chair
Can bring us to the same places.

The inner may be a microcosm
For the outer.
The outer may be a macrocosm
Of the inner.
May
Can be an awfully big word.
On every speck of sand
And shred of human DNA
The secrets of always
Are inscribed in languages
Often misunderstood
By the scientifically
And spiritually
And intellectually
And altruistically
Well intentioned.

We simply don't know
What we don't know.
We travel in Space
To explore -
Or, as is often the case,
To seek validation
For what we already believe
To be true.

Whether inner or outer,
Space Travel remains a
Human activity,
Wed to the essential truths
Biases
And needs
Of humanity.