Lone astronaut floating, tethered to a balloon

Bearing the Earth’s blue hue

Up and up the balloon goes

Up into space where the stars’ lay

Thank goodness she has a spacesuit on

Well, obviously. How else would she survive?

In the cold, infinite space

Where only the stars and sun are her light

There she goes, drifting through the cosmos

Stars twinkling like diamonds around her

The balloon, a fragile orb, holds the weight of home

The world is where my home is

She is in space to explore. To wonder. To discover

But she misses home. Misses connection

In space, no one can see you. No one can hear you

The cost of exploration can be lonesome.

She is alone. Left to discover. Left to float.

With the stars, sun and moon for company

And one, big, shiny Earth balloon

The one, the only, connection to home

She drifts through the night, both small and big

Beyond the reach of gravity’s call

Yet she still clings to home

A string of love, discovery and connection

The place where hearts and roots belong

Poem Description

“Earth in Hand, Starry Skies Above” is a poem that captures the whimsical and emotional essence of an astronaut floating in space, while gently holding Earth as if it was a balloon. The balloon symbolises home, even though you are far away from it, exploration and wonder (meeting new people, discovering new things), and solitude and contemplation (you are alone in this galaxy, floating by while the stars light your way; it can be signs of introspection and self-discovery). The point is that it is okay to feel alone and ‘drift off into space’ once in a while, but the most important thing to hang on to during that time is home. Connection. Life. Optimism.