(This tribute was the least I could do.)

The Legend Of Apollo

The first of these 3-manned flights
Embarked so with Schirra’s Apollo 7;
Preparing humankind for unseen sights
Merited of Apollo 1’s 3, now in heaven

Next, Apollo 8 was so mightier than all,
Finally, leaving earth for the moon;
edge-of-seat drama… but without flaw,
from “in the beginning” to Pacific noon

The moon could be reached, they knew,
Now… but if only to land and return;
and, with each day our confidence grew
and time to soon ‘go’ they would discern

Introducing the spidery LEM into space,
And one ship literally becoming two;
As Apollo 9’s separated, flew with grace
And, two halves far apart they flew

Survival so far, all tribulations and trials,
Collective prayers working… and amen;
They would peruse within 9 mere miles
As this the bold mission of Apollo 10

Now… it was time, mankind was of age,
Humankind’s dream was suddenly real;
So… 3 were chosen to lose an earthly cage
And, destiny chose Mike, Edwin, and Neil

Recently inconceivable this could be achieved,
This event being sent to a pebble of heaven;
The most reverent, since Adam was conceived,
In Honor of: the epochal flight of Apollo 11

Now, once wasn’t enough so they dare go again,
Conrad’s Apollo 12 was dubbed this machine;
Landing were luck, God and Intrepid’s two men,
But, this was the last for now, He had seen

It was decreed that no third landing would they earn
As Lovell’s Apollo 13 was finger-pointed by fate;
But a first… the world prayed for a victimless return,
A pray-together stay-together world shows no hate

Apollo 14 was up and allotted the next lunar look
With the first staccato roar ever delayed by rain;
As Al’s golf shot travelled with nary a hook,
After they landed, so far in most rugged terrain

Apollo 15’s J-mission was next and a first, by far,
As Endeavor observed much more to explore still;
Scott and Irwin, egressing craters in an electric car,
After Falcon grappled the marsh at Hadley-Rille

When Young and Duke, next, made their try,
it was almost haphazard and without purpose;
but, the universe didn’t yet bear say goodbye,
and allowed Apollo 16 on hallowed surface

Our heavenly interests became crippled and lame,
and could barely hold for just one more flight;
the final 7½ million pounds of thrust to tame,
was a conclusion… a memorial to launch by night

Apollo 17 glitched… a delay before it went away,
but destiny, luck and men quickly found remedy;
they say it transformed a blackened night into day
when Challenger and America left Cape Kennedy

What an honor, to be allotted among few chosen,
to land, leap and live in luna’s grandeur, mystery;
but the forever flame of Apollo was finally frozen,
as Cernan and Schmidt were its last in history

Glorious. John’s bold goal grasped for the ages,
Reaching it, suddenly releasing it, utter dismay;
Unbridled enthusiasm snuffed, regress to cages,
Apollo jailed… impaled… as it handed us
immortality, so… to throw it all away