Man on the Moon
Lined up on the only couch in the farmhouse
where my husband Guy grew up, we all watched
Walter Cronkite’s live broadcast
of Apollo 11 and the moon landing,
on black and white TV thousands of miles away
in Iowa, where Guy was home on leave.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first human
to step onto the surface of our moon.
One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
Guy’s orders were for Vietnam,
where other humans waged war,
broadcast nightly on the news.
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Three astronauts blasted off in Apollo 11 July 16, 1969. This fifth manned Apollo flight lasted until July 24, with the first moon landing on July 20.