Just What I Needed

 

Being a little handy

with mechanical things

and having a little spare time

I built a ship. Thinking ahead 

 

I stuck in a tape deck, threw in 

my Coleman Hawkins eight-track

and headed out, made a quick trip 

past Venus and Mercury, circled the sun,

 

stopped on the way back

to check out the dark side of the moon

(I had the foresight to include headlights

for just such an occasion).

 

Mars, been there done it.

My destination was Jupiter.

Fascinating planet.

I put on my super-duper spacesuit

 

fired my ablative retro-rocket thingy,

and explored the surface,

such as it is. A very ethereal experience.

The people I met

 

were welcoming. The whole

thing kind of reminded me

of Nebraska, homey, down to earth

(so to speak), I don't know,

 

just good folk. They were curious

about me and my life on earth,

it's always nice when people 

aren't so into themselves that they can't

 

make polite inquires after one's health

and well being. Something else

in common with Nebraska, no beach,

hence, no beach volleyball.

 

They were very curious about that.

I told them about the vendors

at the Santa Monica beach, selling

fresh fruit, and they said, "huh,"

 

having a substantially different diet

than on earth, mostly consisting

of chick peas and other salad items,

and something very close to Doritos.

 

I spent several weeks there, learned

enough of the language to get by.

I even had a close encounter

with a female equivalent, not that close,

 

I explained that I was married,

and though my wife allows me to dream

of other woman, I'm not allowed to fool around,

so it was, as I said, not that close of an encounter.

 

As I was thinking about leaving, going on

to Neptune, Uranus, the Outer Planets,

they hemmed and hawed until I finally said,

"wtf," and they said not to waste my time,

 

nothing worth seeing, and the inhabitants

have a big chip on their collective shoulders,

and etc. Taking them at their word

I collected phone numbers and addresses,

 

promised to keep in touch, leave the porch light on,

and off I went, and glad I did

as I was getting homesick. The best thing

about traveling is coming home,

 

slipping into a warm and cozy bed,

snuggling up, hearing the familiar sounds

of the furnace kicking on, the owl that hoots,

and all that jazz. It was a good trip.

 

 

 





Poetry by jim The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 159 times
Written on 2015-02-17 at 15:08

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Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Listen, Buster; first of all, I don't think that you really went to Jupiter. Second, I don't believe that Jupiter is at all like Nebraska; Joplin, maybe, but not Nebraska. Other than those two things, I enjoyed the poem.
2015-02-19


night soul woman The PoetBay support member heart!
Re-deifying the mundane is an achievement;) Few days ago I start reading an article about the difference between ritual and habit but I didn't finish reading it:D oh well:) but just reading the words: "the difference between ritual and habit" awoke thoughts:) took me to places etc:) perhaps it is of importance perhaps of great importance to see every - thing as a thing itself and as a part of everything;) at times what is inanimate can be experienced as life-giving or as a part of us - Hug a rock while being in a state of mind you choose or wished to be in;)

Yes that's how you can be the hugger and the one being hugged:D such a blissful moment but something easier might be to try the butterfly hug*place your right hand on your left shoulder and you left hand on your right shoulder close your eyes, hug yourself and enjoy the moment if not ask yourself why find the cause or come up with a good excuse like: why don't you pay attention to me I feel neglected!* but besides that who's "me" ? = "my health and well being." um..... :) but :x

-> :x =smiley that remains silent or shuts up

Or hm are you still yourself while you for example cough? hehe or do you become the one that coughs - you know who I am referring to, right? If you manifest the opposite of who you are did you kill your real "me" inside you?

Oh and I found a lost letter in your inspiring artwork:)Find in which word it truly belongs to *drumroll* and the letter is ***e*
2015-02-17


Åsa Andersson
Lovely trip to the outer parts of our solar system. I am particularly impressed with the super-duper space suit.

Since I am on a tight budget, maybe I will have to settle with a visit to Nebraska, however.
2015-02-17



Is that one the 5th rock from the sun? Not sure I'd like it--too cold. Nice rings, though, oops, that's Saturn.

Thanks for allowing us to accompany you on your excursion to Jupiter and surrounding environs. Fun poetry refined with your usual finesse. All those light-years though have left me feeling giddy. No more space travel for me today. :)
2015-02-17



What a delightful fantasy! I grew up thinking space travel would be common by now, but alas, no such thing happened. So Jupiter is a lot like Nebraska--nice. I'll have to make a trip there someday. Enjoyed this.
2015-02-17