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# High-Low (Revisited)
- URL: https://dianaludwick.com/high-low-2/
- Published: 2026-04-13T01:54:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:09:40.000Z
- Description: “High-Low (Revisited),” a testament to the head-spinning contradictions in our realities. Written April 13, poem 103 in a series of 365 poems written by Diana Ludwick in 2026. "High-Low," the Integrity Orion capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, Friday April 10, 2026. Live stream by NASA, sti
- Author: Diana Ludwick
- Tags: 2026 Poetry Challenge, Homage, Poems, Abundance, All of Us, Allusion, April, Artemis II, Astronauts, Blue Boat, Carroll, Charles Dickens, Civility, Civilization, Craters, Culture, Earth, Earthrise, Galaxy, Grace, Hate, High-Low, Hope, Humanity, Humility, Integrity, Joy Train, Love, Moon, Moon Joy, Rise, Scarcity, Science, Spin Cycle, Stars, The Dark Side, Ultimate Extreme, Universe, Wonder, #Migrated-1792872215677, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 20:03

We're living through the  
best-worst, worst-best of times.  
A tale of two psyches;   
Charles Dickens could never.  
  
We're stuck   
in High-Low gear.  
We're wedged in   
Ultimate Extreme mode.  
  
We've just collectively   
experienced the unfathomable.   
Four magnificent humans,  
on behalf of all countries and cultures,  
were above Us, careening   
through the dark expanse  
of our solar system in   
the pursuit of Science and Civility.  
  
While there, they crafted   
poignant pose and   
framed breath-taking stills  
of our 'blue boat' of a planet.   
  
In their photos they captured:   
the Earthrise  
 our Moon Joy  
 the Dark Side   
 and All of Us.   
  
In those same   
high-resolution images,  
— ones that provoke awe  
and tears and tight throats   
and wide eyes —  
painted in those pixels  
are the world's  
smallest-minded egoists.  
  
The ones who hate more than heal.  
The crushers of community and   
idealizers of isolation.  
The destroyers of decency.  
  
Those astronauts were Up  
documenting the galaxy,   
naming luminous craters  
on Our Moon for their departed:  
"C-A-R-R-O-L-L, that's two 'Ls.'"  
Writing their loved one's names  
into the fabric of our universe.  
  
And yet, far, far Down,  
below on Earth:  
We people within the pixels  
stood on the sidelines  
as titans crashed and postured.  
Threatening to end humanity  
as we know it, "civilization."  
And for what?   
Co-signed by whom?  
  
When Artemis II crew landed,  
they did so with grace,  
unsullied by   
the mess of Earthlings.  
  
The crew shared nothing   
but gratitude and humility  
and a wonder for life  
and the possible with Us.  
And, they emphasized, Love.  
  
Their Joy Train —   
what they call the mentality   
of mining joy from every incident,  
surprise, event and obstacle —  
can hitch up even more train cars.  
  
They displayed a closeness   
and a deep comfort   
with one another   
and with our planet   
that few, if any, of   
the rest of us may ever know.  
  
If only all humans   
could be like them.  
  
Instead, we are   
caught in the cogs,  
grinding between widgets:  
War! and Peace!   
Grift! and Gratitude!   
Conflict! and Curiosity!  
Scarcity! and Abundance!  
Hate! and Hope!  
  
It's no mystery why Us,   
the gravity-laden peoples,  
are ensnared, ebbing in circles.  
We've lost our True North,   
our internal gyroscopes.  
  
So many years now, we've  
been locked in High-Low,  
blood pressure spiking,   
trust dwindling, fear rising,  
ripping ourselves apart.  
  
And to think:  
*we could've had the stars.*  
  
But now, a glimmer,   
an ember, a flame:  
we know now, that   
we *can* have good things.  
  
And we now know:  
The Moon is real.  
The Earth is round.  
Humanity is inherently good.  
And Hope is eternal.  
  
Rise up. Align with Integrity.  
Hunt for the Good out here.  
Protect and nurture our children.  
Break free of the Universal spin cycle  
and make a hard turn into the light.