Countdown

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark
Nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline
Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams
Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon
Crackling speakers
Voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check
T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount
The air is charged — a humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick — you could cut it with a knife
Technology — high, on the leading edge of life
The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding
Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by that awesome sound
Excitement so thick — you could cut it with a knife
Technology — high, on the leading edge of life
Like a pillar of cloud — the smoke lingers, high in the air
In fascination — with the eyes of the world, we stare