His boots were not the first to step
onto the moons grey surface
he was second
he was second to pick up the extraterrestrial dirt
he was second to plant his native flag
his epigram would not be remembered,
but would vanish into the dark vacuum
people would not recall him
past a couple of months, if that

all this he did not share with his first comrade
except his view of earth as it lay docile there
from a foreign perch he could not tell
of the chaos that lay below
for a moment of nirvana
he forgot the wars and the bombs
he forgot our own self destruction being engineered
from a foreign perch all he saw was beauty

if his differences with that first comrade
were so stark then
then with those below what did he share?
With that in mind he reached revelation
he could never go back
like battle scarred warrior he could not reintegrate
his war was with his people, not some foreign enemy
but he could not return to this gleaming orb either
his was the second man on the moon
and he was not important

with the crunch of boots on stone
he took two steps and leaped
began the end of his mortal life
floating through the black space he so loved
perhaps he'd reach the next planet, or beyond?