Duchesse: I could curse the starres.
Bosola : Looke you, the starres shine still.
Duchesse: — my curse hath a great way to go.

(Webster’s “Duchesse of Malfy”)

Good news last night – manned bases on the moon
within the next ten years. Each fission powered
with strike capacity – should need arise.
Armed sentinels in space. A watch to scour
the corners of the world and search the night
between the suns. Discs listening down. And then
before the century has ended
larger bases colonizing Mars.
Tonight I looked again and saw that light
was still arriving from the stars
and planets climbed
unhindered up their slow
parabolas through space.
But give us time –
it’s early days. Our curse has far to go.