Second Earth by Howard Richard Debs

How many miles is

300 light years?

1763587611955082 miles

per a quick calculation.

No that’s not the key

question. How to induce

a state of suspended

animation to make the trip?

There’s the rub. This all pertains

to the plan for escaping from

a planet now riddled with

a pox upon its house,

where more than ever

inequity and derision divides

the multitudes. Who will

join this journey of expatriation?

The just discovered exoplanet

Kepler-1649c awaits. Almost

overlooked, only 1.06 times

larger than planet Earth, with

fully three-fourths the light,

temperature about the same,

water almost certainly

on its surface. Sounds

just about right. Do-over.

Afterword: I was astounded to find this article about a new celestial discovery, uncovered just in the nick of time which from a certain perspective could provide a much needed remedy to our current situation as earthlings if we take the initiative to apply  humanity’s ingenuity and resources to find a way to expand our horizons in this direction. At the least, it gives pause that regardless of circumstances, there are always possible solutions, theoretically anyway.

Howard Richard Debs is a recipient of the 2015 Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Awards. His essays, fiction, and poetry appear internationally in numerous publications; His book Gallery: A Collection of Pictures and Words (Scarlet Leaf Publishing) is a 2017 Best Book Awards and 2018 Book Excellence Awards recipient.  He is listed in the Poets & Writers Directory: https://www.pw.org/content/howard_debs