Ruth Jewell's poem pictures an astronaut drifting alone above the Earth, and the title names the moment as a first untethered space walk. The poem names Bruce McCandless near the end as the one who went first. The opening lines hold him in a kind of balance, with darkness above and blue below, and the image of him resting "in the hand of the universe" makes him seem both tiny and safe. Her comparison to a feather on "the breath of heaven" adds to that gentle, almost prayerful feeling.
The speaker feels wonder and quiet pride. Below him are a billion voices, yet the only sound he hears is his own breathing, which stresses how isolated he is. The universe hums with atoms, stars and galaxies he can't yet hear, and the speaker imagines a future when we all will. The mood is hushed and hopeful, and the last line, "Now the real work begins," shifts from awe to the sense that this courageous step is only a start.