Neil Armstrong, RIP

[chris_gerrib]

I have no personal memory of Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon. The only personal memory I have of the Apollo program is of me sitting on the floor in my Grandfather Gerrib's house watching astronauts on TV. I think it was daylight outside in my Central Illinois town, and I vaguely recall that the images were in color, so it had to be a later landing.

Having said that, I found myself saddened at his death over the weekend. To a certain extent, it marks the end of an era of exploration. I'm also saddened to learn of the death of a good man. James Fallows of the Atlantic talks about Armstrong. Notably, unlike Charles Lindbergh, Armstrong did not cultivate celebrity. Although I'm sure some of that was due to Armstrong's personality, I also suspect that he had seen the price Lindbergh had paid for his decisions.

I had hoped that Armstrong would be around to congratulate the next group of people (hopefully Americans) who landed on the moon. Alas, that is not to be. I found this poem which I'd like to close with:

Endymion
ROZ KAVENEY
(For Neil Armstrong)

In her white silent place, the hangings dust,
grey pebbles stretching to the edge of black
so far away. The goddess feels a lack
somewhere elsewhere, an ache deep as her crust

and weeps dry tears. The gentleman is gone
the first who ever called. His feet were light
as he danced on her. Went into the night
quite soon, his calling and his mission done

yet still his marks remain. Footfalls and flag.
The others she forgets. He was the first
to slake her ages long and lonely thirst
for suitors. Now she feels the years drag

as they did not before he came to call.
Our grief compared to hers weighs naught at all.