Skyward

Training days completed,
Its time for the event,
Off to somewhere uninhabited,
Where only probes were sent.

Walking down the exit ramp,
And into the awaiting van,
The planet dry and coloured red,
Beckons for its first man.

Driving down the concourse,
The rocket was huge in size,
Towering up into the sky,
Getting bigger before my eyes.

The elevator took us to the top,
To board the rockets flight deck,
Panels and dials illuminate,
As we make a final check.

Systems go, the booster primed,
Its time for the final countdown,
Launch control in my earpiece,
The time to go was now.

On the count of one it dawned,
As I ignite the rockets boost,
Shaking a little violently,
Both worry and nerves induced.

Racing toward the heavens above,
We broke through low lying cloud,
The blue sky turned into the black,
A moment to be proud.

I detached the booster rockets,
And the shaking had already ceased,
A single vehicle orbital,
We were now a ship released.

Getting the course set in for us,
Our propulsion sped us along,
We headed for the Red Planet,
The trip would be so long.

Settling in to no gravity life,
My mind was focused ahead,
And finally relaxed from launch,
It was time to hit my bed.