With every century
Our eyes on the universe have been opened anew
We are witness
To the very brink of time and space
We must ask ourselves
We who are so proud of our accomplishments
What is our place in the cosmic perspective of life?
The exploration of the cosmos
Is a voyage of self discovery
As long as there have been humans
We have searched for our place in the cosmos
Are there things about the universe
That will be forever beyond our grasp?
Are there things about the universe that are
Ungraspable?
One of the great revelations of space exploration
Is the image of the earth, finite and lonely
Bearing the entire human species
Through the oceans of space and time
Matter flows from place to place
And momentarily comes together to be you
Some people find that thought disturbing
I find the reality thrilling
As the ancient mythmakers knew
We're children equally of the earth and the sky
In our tenure on this planet, we've accumulated
Dangerous evolutionary baggage
We've also acquired compassion for others,
Love for our children,
And a great soaring passionate intelligence
The clear tools for our continued survival
We could be in the middle
Of an inter-galactic conversation
And we wouldn't even know
We've begun at last
To wonder about our origins
Star stuff contemplating the stars
Tracing that long path
Our obligation to survive and flourish
Is owed not just to ourselves
But also to that cosmos
Ancient and vast, from which we spring