by Germoglino Saggio

The first red satellite Sputnik

Was a great surprise for America

And an indescribable fear,

Seeing its power fairly shaken.

Now it has put itself in fabricating a race,

In order to defend its position;

Impoverishing the whole nation

Where there are a good many insane men.

Everyone searches in making a claim,

Saying that his apparatus was the original,

Designed in steal, with diligence,

In order to go far to tightening a union.

There are many bold-ly, young people,

Who would like to go to the moon,

Hoping to make a good fortune,

Afterwards proclaiming themselves victorious.

But all this idle talk is … balls!

Which will not arrive on Saturn’

And I read, listen and remain silent,

Turning my back on this foolishness.

That the Russians will be going to conquer the moon

Is a fact which I am able to confirm;

But the real difficulty will be to then return,

If they don’t hold on to a favorable cord.

September 1959