Gymsong For Carl Sagan

By Steven Faraday

Carl Sagan, I am at the Gym.
It has been years since your passing, and I am
Curling weights with magnificent ease.
I’m stronger than I’ve ever been
And the guy at the front desk knows me.

I do numerous reps on the machines
But I never neglect the free weights.
You taught us about the planets
And the secret order in the sprawl of stars.
The Gym is a symphony of grunts!
I am not the strongest person here
But I’m still doing an amazing job.
You died in 1996 and the world
Grew darker in your absence.

Rest peacefully, proud voyager!
Your soul is now dispersed across the stars
And your wise mind, untroubled by worry,
Now ponders eternal the unsolvable mysteries of the cosmos.
I am out of control with strength!
The man who cleans the locker room says
That I come to the Gym too often, but I will never stop!
I alternate between bench press and sit-ups
And I glisten with sweat.

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