Far flung to the stars only to fall like Icarus,
Wax wings bemoaned touching the sun.
The thunder announced your fate.
Streaking like lightning across the heavens,
The brave seven, so close to home,
Yet so far removed.
Oh Columbia, did your brother Challenger beckon you?
Great metal eagle, whose passengers soared so high,
Above the Earth suspended, only to pass into history,
Leaving a void in all of us.
All the while teaching us.
That all great deeds come with greater risk.
Shall we always remember your sacrifice,
May we ever comfort your loved ones,
May your children always remember.
Your absence creates a void in all of us.
Your memory however sustains us.
© Robert W Hullender