to the moon, Alice

it was like being on the moon
for a year or so.
from earth she looked
so inviting.
the fine silted sand of a million
years
crusting
the airless orb
afloat, gleaming white
in the suns
light.
from a distance she was
a beauty, but up close
she was trouble,
pocked with craters,
jagged valleys
holding nothing
but darkness. dead in
space.
I was away for so long.
locked tight
in my suit, my capsule
keeping me alive, along
with
my faith. my hope.
it was a dangerous
place to be.
stuck there on that cold
world
devoid of love,
devoid of life. it was
an empty place that gave
nothing return.
could I
make it home?
could I finally separate
myself from this trap,
this false idea.
I could, and did.
finally I boarded,
and without looking back
for even a glimpse.
I took flight.