Helium Miner's Song

Heather Preston

Helium Miner's Song

Copyright ©2020 by Heather Preston
Used by permission - All Rights Reserved

Chorus
Once around its axis / means once around the Earth
So-I'll meet forever gazing toward the planet of my birth

Fusion gave us energy both plentiful and green
But the safest uses* Helium-3, so rare yet burns so clean *(YOO-zez)
We've reached for the moon again, the gold rush has begun
Processing the regolith for treasure from the Sun

There's mostly automation to extract the Helium-3
Still the tech requires maintenance, and that job falls to me
From the farside highland station to the peaks of constant light
Where the crater walls protect the precious ice within their night

Chorus

The dark is two weeks long out here, and likewise runs the day
And as for the horizon, well, it's never far away
The Earth's a dazzling sky-jewel in this land of black and gray
Reminding me of what I've given up to earn my pay

The Earth's thin precious atmosphere protects it just a bit
From cosmic rays and asteroids, at least the smaller hits
But on the moon, no atmosphere is cushioning each blow
A tiny rock can deal a shock that's death to those below

Chorus

It caught me through the backpack as I fixed a solar cell
And if that hadn't slowed it, I'd have nothing more to tell
But lying on my back now, frozen blood has blocked the hole
I have a few more moments yet, to try and calm my soul

And my heart is filled with love although it's failing me at last
For the sky-jewel of my homeworld now forever in my past
And I wouldn't trade this beauty for another 20 years
Hold fast to dreams, I've lived it choosing dreams above our fears.

Chorus