Earthrise, Apollo 8 12-24-68 Poem by John F. McCullagh

A terrible year it was, in everyone's eyes.
A King and a Prince many loved had both died.
In the Cities there were riots; in the land discontent-
In Vietnam our money and blood were ill-spent.
So as that year ended, to no one's surprise,
We all seemed more than happy to bid it goodbye.

Then from the firmament on that Christmas Eve
Word came from Heaven to grant us reprieve.
A quotation from Genesis was read on the air,
much to the dismay of Miss Murray O'Hare.

Then the image that grabbed us, that could not be forgot
The image of Earthrise as a little blue dot
A remnant of Eden, from which mankind was expelled
A beautiful picture of the Earth where we dwell.

The planet seemed peaceful when viewed from afar
And all that seemed missing was a bright guiding star.