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 looking at the 1968 Earthrise photo
feels like being on the moon looking down
at my childhood self looking up at me

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

what you see
is also looking back at you

and I hope that

that what I’m seeking
is also seeking me

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

so many of us looking down at our phones, 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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