Challenger

Challenger

"Three.
Two. One.
We have liftoff."
I heard the words
As I prepared a meal.
Reassured, I watched
The then nearly routine
Events unfold in color.
As Challenger began its
Celestial trek, my heart
Felt joy. My eager eyes
Followed her graceful arc
Skyward as I stood,
Unblinking, spatula frozen
In time, waiting. My heart
Pounded with pride at the
Sight of it. Suddenly, sixty
Seconds into flight, the strong
And steady stream of smoke was
Rent into erratic corkscrews, unfocused,
And willy-nilly. I felt cold, bony fingers grip
My heart, my soul. No word spoke the unspeakable.
An eerie lapse. My eyes, unsure of what they were
Seeing. But, in my
Heart, I knew.
I knew.