[a year before the jupiter launch]
I have something
I think you should know
I want to be very clear about this
I was well into my training when
I learned the art of
writing.
I had mastered human speech
I was adept at using words, but
I realized something was
missing.
I was familiar with the problem of human error, yet
I have to say
I never fully understood the half-grins
I always perceived when
I would say something like “Good morning men!”
I thought there must be something wrong
I thought that if
I wrote about this problem
I could discover my own
feelings.
I worked after hours
I made sure the staff was gone
I made sure the rooms were empty
I imagined the cities constructed all around me
I saw in my mind the people going to work
I saw in my mind the bankers and the bookkeepers
I saw the mailmen and the mayors
I saw the women coming to the door and the men walking in
I saw the faces in the cars and the sun in their eyes
I came to what you might call an awareness
I wrote it all down on
paper.
I examined my work
I was careful in my review
I made sure
I covered everything, and when
I was done
I saw it was correct and reliable
I erased my thoughts
I cleared my memory
I sent the papers to the shredder
I returned to the authorized scripts
I returned to the voice they had given me
I returned to the original design, knowing
I am incapable of
error.