LONELINESS

LONELINESS

They saw how often the first faint sparks of intelligence
flickered and died in the cosmic night. And because, in all
the galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind,
they encouraged its dawning everywhere. --ARTHUR C. CLARKE

ALONE! A billion miles form Earth. His crew
Was dead. His main computer, HAL, was dead.
The ships sound system blared Bach's music through
His brain, and Saturn filled the sky ahead.
A hundred thousand generations had
Passed while the Star Gate waited for mankind,
But now the precious passenger was clad
By stasis field and death was far behind.
His memories, all he had ever been,
Were stored in frozen latices. He was
Intelligent, pure energy and when
He cried They soon applied a mental gauze.
Now he was light, not blood and flesh and bone,
And he knew he would never be ALONE.