Spaceman In Space

Hurtling slowly through the void
Floating about in a flight suit
Checking, rechecking the ship’s math
Occasionally putting the helmet on

There are lots of checklists in space

The ship always beats him at chess

He never watches films anymore.
He never reads novels anymore.
Sometimes he cranks up the music,
And sometimes he drifts in the silence.

When he can’t sleep, he remembers when he used to dance the tango.