kalpana chawala

Her mother always knew where to find her,
At night she would be outside, lying on her back.
Gazing at the stars, counting them,
Kalpana had a fascination with the cosmos.

Growing up as a tomboy in Karnal in India,
She was in the top of her class, an overachiever.
Her dreams about stars and the great space
Never waned, and her pursuit was determined.

After completing her required education,
She migrated to the den of scientific progress.
In USA she found her dreams fulfilled,
When she was chosen to fly in a mission to space.

She circled the globe and gazed at the stars,
At close range they appeared even more majestic.
And her face beamed when she saw India, 
Like a crown jewel in the continent of Asia.

When she was chosen to fly again in Columbia,
She was exhilarated to relive her dream again.
Enthusiastically she trained with her crew,
Grateful for the chance to be close to the heavens.

Kalpana, the bright star from the earth orbited,
In Columbia, she admired and gloated
At earth and beauty of the space and stars,
And then she became one of heaven’s brightest stars.

So if you look up in the sky tonight, 
And count them, lying on your back,
You will find a new bright star in the western sky
That only a week ago belonged to the earth.