Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z
The Titanium Monument
 Tsiolkovsky Monument Credit: (c) Mark Wade |
Sergei Korolev 1906-1966
On a sun-singed steppe, Sergei stood, said -
here we shall found our cities
to cut a window through to space,
to stand on sky.
Sergei -
born in Odessa, beaten in Kolyma
zek of the First Circle, reached for the stars
thought -
from here we explore where none dared before;
with guess & guts
we train for things yet unknown:
navigators & navvies
cargoes & cosmonauts -
all who will spring
through our window to the sky.
Korolev commanded:
"here shall rise our Admiralty -
Pilyugin - chart and navigate;
from this shore, Sputniks & spacecraft
shall sail solar wind & plasma wave."
The Ministry for Exciting Machines decreed -
Engineers: let our renaissance begin.
secret Rastrellis and Zakharovs drew,
an army of workers dug; construct
steel masts to conduct lightning down,
concrete launch-pads to guide thunder up.
Quays of the cosmos, Sergei's creations, departure halls
for Mars' fields, the mountains of the Moon,
the majesty of orbit:
Tyuratam, camouflaged as Baikonur,
where semyorka, roaring fire,
presents a sputnik to our planet.
Titanium Monument - Faidysh-Krandievskiy's Cosmonaut memorial on Prospekt Mira, Moscow.
Ministry for Exciting Machines - a play on the code name "Ministry of General Machines" (Rockets)
Rastrelli, Zakharov - major architects of St Petersburg.
zek (Rus) - Gulag slang for a political prisoner.
semyorka (Rus) - nickname of R-7 rocket that launched the world's first satellite.
--Keith Gottschalk
Back to top of page
Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z
© 1997-2019 Mark Wade - Contact
© / Conditions for Use