A Poem, The Ill-fated Astronaut

Posted byTravis J. McRoyPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dramatis Personae: A 40’s something astronaut and his escape pod, which is now his coffin of sorts.
Setting: Deep space

This poem follows the last few moments of an astronaut on an ill-fated space mission. Out of desperation, he rushed to an escape pod. Due to an explosion of the shuttle, the pod’s trajectory was thrown off course.

Mission control, I’m off course
Were the last words that I spoke
I float in space with no chance of recourse
A victim of fate’s cruel practical joke
Two hours of battery life remains
I smother the hunger pains with my pills
The silence of space so deafening, my mind strains
My lips crack as blood fills
One hour left, as I hear the chime
I press a picture of my family against my lips
Understanding that I am now on borrowed time
Hallucinations from the pills as my mind slips
The time has come, as darkness falls
Desolation is now my bride
The escape pod judders and stalls
Aimlessly through space, I shall glide
The welcoming sight of a black hole
At least the devil won’t get my soul

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved

34 thoughts on “A Poem, The Ill-fated Astronaut”

      2. I truly appreciate it. I aim for quality with the stuff I put together. So you giving me a compliment like that is extremely motivating. It means the world to me. Thank you so much for reading and the feedback. 🤗🥰

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    1. Thanks, Eugenia! I really enjoyed putting this one together. I think out of all of the poems I have done, it’s easily one of my favorites. Just the thought of aimlessly floating through space is terrifying.

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  9. Captivatingly dark, but I’m sure it has happened. I have a hard time watching space movies due to claustrophobia, but I watch them anyway and am so stressed out at the end. This seemed more peaceful in a way. 🙂

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    1. I’m the same way—the sheer terror of being in space with nowhere to go always gives me an unsettling feeling. That’s what I was thinking too when I wrote it. The person knows the end has arrived, so all of the stresses will be gone. Thank you so much for reading and the compliment!

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      1. I could probably get the resolve at that point too, but getting there….never been a good fit. We did go down to Cape Canaveral to see the final flight of Atlantis in 2010 which was amazing.

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      5. Thanks for checking it out. We go down there a lot for hiking and birding because there is a Wildlife Refuge next to the Cape. We haven’t ever gone down to see a rocket launch though. 🙂

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