From girders of steel see the rocketship rise
On a pillar of flame that transfixes the skies
And watching in realtime, casually, we
Are browsing the website of NASA TV.
The gene folding project, already complete,
The memory card that’s the size of a sweet,
The new-minted metals that alloy the knife:
The commonplace wonders of everyday life.
But whose words ring out to the glory of — what?
Our confidence falters, our arts start to rot,
If our words hold no patterns, our music is noise
Our paintings mere scribbles, our tech simply toys?
It’s hard to extol the wild wonder of people
Or fill a skyscraper with awe like a steeple.
25th November 2007
