Rise, Earth / Earth, Set

ByKate


For the crew of Artemis II

I wrote this poem for you, and I hope
you read it as if it’s a cloudy mirror—

because when I saw the 1968 Earthrise photo
I felt as if I was on the moon looking down
at my childhood self looking up at me

and when I went out alone on a calm morning
the ocean stretched before me, empty to the horizon
when a turtle rose to the surface with a sigh
like a memory launched from the deep

what I see
is also looking back at me

and I hope that

that what I’m seeking
is also seeking me

because I was feeling tossed and lonely
when your beautiful reminder appeared
saying, yes, the universe is vast and mostly empty
but we are connected by our one shared home

all of us were looking down, in wonder
at you, looking up from the dark
sharing a new image of Earth, now setting

reflecting the last of the sunlight, holding all of us—
all of our hopes, and all of our stories

by Kate Righter, 2026

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