“Union”

Are “world” and “peace” in Russian really both Mir?  

What a strange, new Earth that has such language in it.

Soyuz meant merely “union,” which, one assumes,

was a much more stolid phrase across 11 communist time zones,

but Soyuz was the craft that docked with ours: 17 July, 1975

(and docking two craft traveling at 8,000 meters per second

is no mean feat) two hands reached across the portal,

smiled for the cameras, and soyuz became a new union,

a word for all the Earth to hear; Apollo, golden son who tripped

across the sky (East to West from Greece to Rome

without a change of name), even you must admire this Soyuz

between men [who loves learning and mastery and the Muses  

must love seeing the other gods (of Love and War and Home and Hunt,

and even too-careful Wisdom), left, their toes gripping soil,

while science and wonder soar], this manmade Miracle of Mid-July. 

1. Brave new world

2. The Island

3. She who must be admired