Forever Alone

It’s time for me to say goodbye
Tomorrow the communication unit
Will be switched off forever….
Doomed to fly alone through space and time

She’s old news forgotten by many
Stuck in a dark hole
Unable to communicate hopes and fears
Only able to share some of her precious secrets

Intrepid adventurer, cast into the depths of space
In the arms of her companion controller
Rosetta and Philae comet hunters extrodinaire
Completed a ten year journey to Comet 67P

Launched into space to land on the flying frozen mass
Landing, bouncing and flying
Anchors and harpoons malfunctioning
She stopped and wedged in a fissure location unknown

Eighty hours of scientific data produced
Sent 510 million miles back to earth
then batteries died her dark resting place
shielding her from solar power

As the comet flew nearer the sun
Philae revived briefly sending more data
Exact location on the comet unknown
Until one month before Rosettas demise

Philea photographed in her final resting place
The search is over I’ve found @Philae2014
Tweets bouncing around the ether
Are they reaching her as she flies wind in her hair

Samantha Beardon 2017 ©