View From A Space Station Poem by Tor Magnor Solvang

For days, he watched the stars so bright,
Then turned his gaze to Earth, his home, his light.
No lines he saw, no flags unfurled,
Just one big ball, a precious, spinning world.

A shining blue, in endless night,
No country's claim, no border's bite.
From high above, his view so grand,
He saw us all, hand in hand.

Storms danced below, like painted streams,
The poles aglow, like waking dreams.
But oh, the haze, a fragile ring,
The air we breathe, the life it brings.

So thin it seemed, a breath away,
Protecting all, both night and day.
This great big truth, it hit him then,
We're all on board, again and again.

No other place, no cosmic spare,
Just this one ship, beyond compare.
He asked himself, what matters most?
Our planet's health, a vital boast.

For if it fails, what can we be?
No riches found, no company.
Like passengers, some choose to roam,
Forgetting this, our only home.

The smog it spreads, no passport needed,
The weather's change, it can't be heeded
By walls we build, or words we say,
From up so high, they fade away.

He didn't feel so small and lost,
But felt a weight, a precious cost.
This fragile ship, for all to share,
'Us versus them'? It's only us out there.