Tag Archives: Asteroids

Ticket to Ride 2 (In Poetic Form)

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Yesterday, on the way to work,

I heard that around 10:30a.m. a bus-sized

asteroid would pass by the earth.

36,750 miles out and heavy on the gas pedal.

 

I phoned work immediately and told them I was sick.

The flu, I told them…more like One Flew Over…

I ended up at the center of town under a bus shelter.

It was the mainline transfer station.

 

I pulled out two quarters stuck together with gum

which escaped from its wrapper in my pocket.

There were others cramped in the queue

probably looking like an overstuffed “Pope-mobile”.

 

A few conversations bounced off the Plexiglas

as a smoker on the outside of it rocked back and forth,

arms crossed, trying to warm himself.

 

It was 10:15 and the cold aluminum

didn’t erase a warm Spock smile off my face.

I was thrilled that I didn’t have to hitch-hike

through the galaxy and wondered if the fare was 42cents.

 

Maybe Ms. Frizzle would be at the wheel

with a magical grin and dimple.

 

Would the bus look like that huge brown cone-looking

thing from a Star-Trek episode I saw years ago?

That space dirt clod with a mouth on one end would

pull in planets and swallow them like malted milk balls.

The Starship Enterprise was no match, even if Scotty

“Jerry-rigged” the crap out of the force field.

 

Would there be aliens from outer-space heading for outer-space

irritated that yet another stop, “Earth”, would slow down

an already, quite less than light speed journey?

I can just hear the alien’s squeaky complaints translated:

“Are we there yet!?  I don’t have to use the space waste bowl!

I went in the debris of the Saturn ring just twenty years ago!  Sheesh!”

 

A lot of politicians are yelling “To the moon, Alice!”

Such small vision they have I thought as I sat

flat-bottomed, clicking my toes together to see if they were numb.

 

Which galatical line was passing through anyhow?

The Milky Way?

The Andromeda?

The North Star Lines?

 

Was it heading for the Eye of God

like C. S. Lewis’ Great Divorce bus trip?

I looked up as if looking through the satellite skies

of Mark Heard and saw some hope.

The great expanses freckled with dots of light

always intrigued me and I was excited

take a greater leap beyond mankind.

 

Oh, it will be great.

I will sit and watch the universe pass by

while Ms. Frizzle drives on and on.

I will take in the heavens and think of poor old David

having to simply write about it in Psalm 19.

 

 

 

This is reformatted in poetic form for dVerse poets pub open link.

Ticket to Ride

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Yesterday, on the way to work, I heard that around 10:30a.m. an asteroid about the size of a bus would be passing by the earth.  It would be very close, nearly 36,000 miles out and traveling at an ungodly speed, of which I cannot remember.  I immediately called in to work and told them I was sick.  The flu, I told them…more like One Flew Over…

I headed downtown to the big bus stop where all the transfers happen.  Fumbling in my right pocket a couple of quarters stuck together with the gum that set itself free from the wrapper.  With my hand like a bucket I drew them up from the corduroy well.  I stood under the pavilion with the others.  I few conversations bounced off the plexiglas and a smoker on the other side of it rocked back and forth, arms crossed, trying to warm himself.  It was 10:15 and I sat on the cold aluminum with a Spock smile as I tried to separate 50cents into two quarters. Fifteen minutes afforded much wondering.

“At least I wouldn’t have to hitchhike through the galaxy!” I thought and wondered if the fare might be 42cents.  I wondered if Ms. Frizzle would be the driver.  Would the bus look like that huge brown cone-looking thing from a Star-Trek episode I saw at Pastor Norm’s house with my friendly nerd Tom?  That huge sucking cone thing like a bottom feeding fish of open space would swallow anything close…kind of like a teenage boy in front of an open fridge.  Would there be peoples (or things),  from outer space heading for outer space,  irritated that yet another stop, “Earth”, would slow down an already, quite less than light speed, journey.  I can just hear one of the aliens squeak out their complaint.  Translated: “Are we there yet?  I don’t have to use the waste illuminator!  I went in the debris of the Saturn ring twenty years ago!  Sheesh!”

A lot of politicians are talking about trips to the moon lately.  I thought their vision was small as I sat flat bottomed clicking my toes together to see if they were numb.  Which galatical line was passing through anyhow? The Milky Way? The Andromeda? The North Star Lines?  Was it heading for the Eye of God like a paradigm of C. S. Lewis’ Great Divorce?  I looked up as if looking through the satellite skies of Mark Heard and thought of the great beyond.  The great expanses freckled with dots of light always intrigued me.  Now I was ready to take a greater leap beyond mankind.  It will be great.  I will sit and watch the universe pass by while Ms. Frizzle drives on and on.  I will take in the heavens and think of poor ole David having to simply write about it in Psalm 19.