Written August 14, 1954

If I must stay upon this earth
To hope, to help, to hold;
I'll fill this land with boundless mirth,
E'en though its heart seems cold.

But I am not compelled to stay
Upon this earthly dot.
I'm eager to be on my way
To far galaxial spot.

If you would streak across the sky,
Past suns, light-years away,
You'd streak alone, nor question why
You left your mortal clay.

You'd be as free as pure thought,
For thought alone is free.
And TIME and PLACE, they count for naught,
Out in that starry sea.

In one fleet moment you could be
A thousand light-years hence.
In all that vast Eternity
There is no recompense.

Desire is all that you would need
To roam the boundless sky.
You'd have no need for drink or feed
Or time or place to lie.

And, as you streak through boundless space,
In this most thrilling game,
You suddenly come face to face
With sounding of your name.

An Earthling warns you not to roam
Beyond the 'magic wall'.
You seem a truant far from home
Who must respect his call.

Your trip could last forever, youth,
If you'd ignore his cry.
But you'll return to preach the truth,
That man can NEVER die.

If you should not reclaim your clay;
If you should not come back;
The medics of this modern day
Would call it 'heart attack'.