The Man on the Moon

Sympathy is easy, Armstrong. But you needed empathy, and that, the public decided, was too much to give.

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Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, and died on August 25, 2012. This essay was originally published in Gulf Coast, Summer/Fall 2017. I made this playlist in 2014 when I started writing this essay.

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Discovery

The Moon will not be caught or lassoed, and this is the first lie children are told. When someone promises to pull the Moon down for you, do not believe them. It cannot be done.