By Helen Fiske Santa Monica
Space Travel? Earthlings yearn to travel far, To fly around in outer space, To see what lies beyond a star, To find somewhere an alien race. But stop a moment humankind! This old planet needs you here. Look around and you will find Enough to make you shed a tear. Polluted air and oceans wide, Warming winds and melting ice, Wars and famines side by side, Mean streets overrun by vice. Let’s concentrate on mother earth And heal the wounds that we create, To bring about a grand rebirth And commandeer or planet’s fate. When you long for worlds afar, Just raise your eyes and look up high. Behold the moon and every star, The universe is our own sky.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 14, 2008. Read the original PDF.