Man in orbit

Cool air
nudges the raft towards Puerto Rico
its gentle pace respite
after the capsule’s heat and speed –
102° Fahrenheit
falling five miles a second

the drogue floats out
like an orange jellyfish

NASA recalculates
the risk of corroboration
decides
Aurora’s maiden flight will be her last

a margin of error
more than switches on retro rockets
or pitch horizon scanners
must allow
for the human element

a melted candy bar
and weightless crumbs

the icy waste of "fireflies"

"No critters here in space, Kraft –

Beautiful cloud patterns...

My drummer, my drummer told me –
Over"

(First published in Grasslimb, Vol. 16, N° 1; in memory of Scott Carpenter and his five-hour, three-orbit science mission on May 24, 1962 in the spacecraft Aurora 7.)