distant thunder ? distant artillery ?

Or just drums in a parade ?

---

A many a war has been fought,
newsreels and teevee show,
troopers riding trucks and tanks,
or being on trains or ships,
to get where they needed to go.

But they spend lots of time walking,
sometimes bent over,
or in a 'duck walk',
so as to avoid the bullets,
whizzing by over head.

Sometimes they run,
and sometimes they hide in foxholes,
or bunkers,
but walking is what they do the most.

Walking not just a few miles,
but long distances,
over the years.

To Tipperary, to Burma,
to Beleau Wood, to Anzio,
Beirut, to Benghazi,
Normandy to Berlin,
Guadalcanal, to Manila and beyond.

Some rode on ships and planes,
but many wore out boots,
walking for many miles.

Veterans, who came home alive,
now they walk or ride in parades,
but no one is firing artillery nor bullets,
at them anymore.

Crowds wave at them,
and make speeches,
some remember their lost friends,
a few write about those days,
and wonder what happened to those,
who have 'missing in action',
next to their names.

[ Taps ]

[ exit ]

oxygen on.

[ ---------- ]

the lunar morning doesn't come up like thunder,
Angel dances across the view port,
she wears a space suit out there,
the sunlight isn't blinding,
but it reflects off her space suit,
and that looks almost like wings,
across her back.

I used to work hard and long hours,
but the station doctor said I need to take a break,
so I watch Angel every lunar morning,
dance and twirl,
across the lunar landscape,
wings sparkling across her vac-suit.

There is no ringing in my ears,
my telephone is off,
vibrations tell me the Mars shuttle,
has lifted off on time.

the lunar morning doesn't come up like thunder,
but it does move at high speed,
especially when I am tired.

Angel dances across the view port,
she wears a space suit out there,
the sunlight isn't blinding,
but it reflects off her space suit,
and that looks almost like wings,
across her back.

[ exit ]

bundle up, coats are good to wear.

[ written Fall, 2007 ]

Thunderstorms march across the lands,
the end of hurricane season,
just a few days away.

snow came early this year,
warm somewhere I suppose,
windy outside,
warm and windy inside.

I hear a quiet violin,
playing in the night,
as the thunderstorm makes its presence known,
point and counter-point they play,
as distant lights,
flicker down in the town.

Elk and deer on their annual march,
to their wintering grounds.

The mountains on the horizon,
off that away,
cannot see them for now,
due to the thunderstorm,
but they will be seen,
in the sweet by and by,
when snow is dumped on them,
once again,
as winter arrives.

Soon, so soon,
the winter constellations will be there,
in the early evening sky,
aurora borealis and australis,
will flicker way up there,
as a distant violin,
heralds that winter,
is on the way.

Summer is a distant memory,
spring is there,
on the distant horizon,
we cannot yet see it,
but it is there,
first though,
winter will hold sway,
up on this meadow,
at the base of the foothills,
just a short way,
from those large mountains,
upon the horizon,
as they block our sight,
from the sunset,
as the sun sinks slowly,
in the west.

[ exit ]

Bells are ringing,
by the stores,
some folks are eating food,
some have none,
shelter from the storm,
is very desirable,
a roof with no walls,
is, I guess, better than none.

There are those out looking for work,
getting turned down gets them to try again,
oh they are qualified,
but no responses do they receive,
what a sad thing,
on a holiday eve !

I see the talking heads on telly,
yammering about political polls,
those without food are more important,
or so I've been told.

Christmas music is playing in the stores,
gift wrapping is going on,
all over the floor.

Some have no gifts,
to give to their families,
except, except, they are alive,
and looking for work.

Now, I've seen a cartoon on tv,
a kid who can have wishes.

So here goes,
'cause some say I'm just a kid at heart.

I wish I may,
I wish with all my might,
that more people have,
a happy holiday,
and find what they need,
including work, food, and
warm clothes,
before the end of 2007.

"And may all your holidays,
be bright."

[ exit ]

watching a shuttle launch on NASA tv. (I missed part of it, but I
watched the video on file at NASA tv.)

And as always the background music is what you hear floating down
the hallway as you read this poem. Its not a word substitution.

Observations of the shuttle launch and my bits will be in double
quotes "

[ background music: 'Orinoco Flow' by Enya ]

The space-suited crew gets in the crew bus and heads for the
shuttle.

Lots of cloud cover today. Might be a flight delay.

No technical issues at this time.

Launch is expected to be at 2:45 PM Eastern time.

"Going down to the launch pad, to the edge of the solar sea.
Low earth orbit is a step out onto the porch,
the ocean of space beckons."

Launch in 2 hours 40 minutes.

Astronauts are now at the orbiter access arm,
ready to board the shuttle.
(Camera 006)

A very quiet launch. No issues since we started.

Final preparations and the astronauts are boarding.

All constraints for launch are cleared at this time.
(11:36 AM Eastern)

"Sail away into the blue sky !
Venus, Jupiter and distant Pluto looking on !"

Astronauts are doing final suit up and getting into their
launch seats.

Shuttle Commander doing radio checks.

11:45 AM Eastern. 3 Astronauts are aboard, water for cooling
the launch pad is ready.

12:02 PM Eastern. All systems and weather are go for now.

12:20 PM Eastern. SRB recovery vessels are in the location down
range for recovery of the solid rocket boosters.

A rain shower has popped up south west of the launch pad.

12:28 PM Eastern comm checks.

12:37 PM Eastern. Another weather balloon has been released.

12:45 PM Eastern Trend is in correct direction for launch for
weather conditions.

12:49 PM Eastern. go for hatch closure and hatch is being closed.

"sail away to the planetary ocean !"

A weather front is approaching from the north west.

1:40 PM Eastern launch weather is green.

T minus 20 minutes and counting.

T minus 9 and counting, past the built-in 9 minute hold.

Everything is go !

T minus 1 minute and counting.

"the water flows to cool off the launch pad,
the sky calls overhead,
gravity abides"

T minus 30 seconds

15 seconds

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

T minus zero and we have lift off !

Space Shuttle Atlantis has cleared the tower !

"The engines roar,
you can feel it for miles,
gravity pulls,
but it is being over come,
pressed back into their seats,
the astronauts journey upwards,
towards the planetary ocean !"

Roll maneuver has started.

"The sky darkens as the air thins outside the ship,
onward it climbs towards orbit and
rendezvous with the space station."

"The ship bursts up through the sky,
passing the clouds by,
the ocean far down below !"

The SRBs have separated and are falling away.

"Upward the ship and crew climb,
moving faster through the sky."

External tank separation is complete.

"The engines go quiet,
voices on the radio,
and fans on the ship,
are that all that can be heard,
the Earth's atmosphere is below,
the clouds further down,
not even the mountains are this high,
in Low Earth Orbit."

"Just a step out onto the Earth's back porch,
the moon and the planets beckon,
way over there !"

"Not yet do we return to the Sea of Tranquility,
a future Marsport,
placed right about there,
I see flickers in the Solar system night,
predicting spaceships, and even maybe starships,
to be seen out there,
someday !"

[ exit ]

pluperfect future tense nostalgia.

[ ---------- ]

He sits on the old wooden porch,
and waves, apparently randomly, at the passersby,
a few know he was once a pilot.

A starship pilot.

He was on the Baldur Honey Rum trade route,
when it first got started,
he remembers steering clear of Altair IV,
Dr. Morbuis wasn't pleasant to talk to.

Travels to Vega were more interesting,
but the blue-white light,
did things to his hair.

Cephid variables ticking in the night,
some like slow clocks,
some like rabbits.

The slow wheeling of distant galaxies.

Time passes so slowly when,
reducing tau to nearer and nearer,
zero.

The rush of a starport,
the quiet of starship travel,
when distant from any planet.

But he was far older than he looked,
gray haired though he be.

He remembered in the long ago and far away,
of ships called,
Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

Of Sputnik and Explorer,
Skylab and Mir.

It happened before he was born,
but there was a guy in Brazil who flew,
heavier than air,
back in something called the 1800s.

The Lifting Body, the Bell X-1,
through the Bell X-15.

Of comets coming close to a place called Earth...

What ever that is.

The wreck of the Starship Dancer,
was told for many a year,
but they got it all wrong,
the Dancer was his starship,
he used it to rescue the Planetary Ship Vega,
out yonder,
off the star charts of that time.

Over 5,000 passengers and crew lived,
to see life, for at least another day,
out there, beyond the distant stars,
of the local star group,
at the edge of then civilization,
where a group had taken a slow generation ship,
and settled in.

It was one of the passengers ships that had,
lost an engine megaseconds from any help,
then he had buzzed by in his starship,
after slowing down from such low tau,
taking 5 turns around that solar system to do so,
he managed to save them.

Its not often you see people on a space ship,
wearing Elizabethan I-style clothes.

But he now sits,
in a wooden rocking chair,
on a wooden porch,
waving randomly at passersby.

But he remembers,
oh how he remembers,
those glory days,
of being a starship captain,
and traveling off the charts,
in the long ago and far away.

[ exit ]

Ze Time Change is a-Coming this weekend !

Duck ! Dodge ! Hyde !

[ my commentary on Daylight Saving time shifts ]

[ in my desire to not give my spell checker a conniption,
no spell checking done. ]

Did Somevon mention Ze Duck ?

A large mallard approaches a chalk board...

'Tis a duck breaking thru yon curtain,
Ze Giant Leap Forward one hour,
is nearly upon us !

'Tis Spring and Julliete is Ze Sun !

Ze Rutabagas have been putting butter in Ze Clocks again,
they have slowed down,
so its time to leap the clocks ahead,
an hour or threee !

Vait !

Dat should only be Ze One Hour,
Do not go to Four,
nor Five,
Three is right out,
Nor will 2 hours do.

Ze Bunny Hop is done,
in Ze Past,
And yet it is still snowing somewheres !

Eki-eki-zaboing cannot tune a guitar,
but can tune a fish !

We have no banana-shaped map today !
'Tis an election year,
I'm blinded by the primary sun !
Light at night,
the clocks are slowwwwing dowwwnnnn.

Ve must perk them Zup !
Maybe we can find some sugar-free caffeine,
to do ze leap with !?

Has Ze Primaries become boring ?
Yes ! And sleepy too !

Clocks don't like to do Ze leap,
Ve must add musk to Zem !

Butter just slow ze Clocks down,
but musk,
particularly from a muskrat rambble,
will cause Zem to Speeeed Up,
and back into Ze Future one hour !

Ole' !

A large mallard quietly leaves Ze Stage.

[ exit]

It was Picnic Day !

We kids just knew all about it,
discussed amongst us and our friends,
we were going to fly across the Void !

Yippeee !

Took the elevator down to The Room,
it was like no other.

Awaiting us were the Sky Cycles,
yes, we were going to ride bicycles,
across the void of interstellar space !

Our folks took back seats,
and we got on the front seats,
of those Sky Cycles built for two.

Radios on,
ready to start,
the lights dim,
our eyes adjust,
the airlock opens !

There... are the Stars !

Yippeee !

We start peddling the Sky Cycles,
off into the Void of Space !

Our parents explain,
no touching the stars,
they can burn,
avoid the black hole,
or you will be gone,
for ever.

It took us 2 hours,
the stars passed slowly by,
no ! musn't touch !
but we made it !

we have been to the Stars !

The airlock on the other wall,
opens and we hear it shuss shut behind us,
we take a new type of elevator up,
to our new rooms.

gone are our childhood lives,
for we have seen the Stars !

many years pass by...

I'm decades older now.

And I have finally learned,
we are on a generation ship,
a thousand generations until land fall,
we must keep the dream alive.

As the last oldster told us,
just before he died.

"If you lose your dreams,
you can lose your way. Keep
the dream of starflight going,
please. Other ships have died,
because they gave up Hope."

Other ships had tried,
new methods of propulsion,
to shorten the journey,
nothing was heard of them,
anymore.

Sometimes years later,
a bright flash was seen,
off in their direction.

No experiments for us,
but we came up,
with the 'stars' in the center of the ship,
to keep the Dream Alive.

To help us pass the centuries,
before land fall.

Please excuse me,
its time for me to show,
my kids,
the Sky Cycles,
and the Stars,
so they to can dream.

Sitting up in the hills,
waiting for the sun,
to show back up,
after Winter's Dark.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Hoping that crumbling of brush,
and crackling of leaves,
isn't something Big,
and Hungry !

It wanders off,
in a new direction.

[whew]

Could that be the Sun ?

I can almost see,
my hand in front of my face...

Waiting.

Waiting..

Waiting...

A thin blue light,
peeks above the Eastern Mountains.
'Tis the Blue Moon,
a pre-sage of the Sun.

A predictor.

Waiting...

Waiting..

Waiting.

Here comes the Sun !

Everything is going to thaw !
Is that a paw,
I see ?

...

No, its just Muck's fur covered boot !

[craaaaack !]

Its warmer now !
By 20 degreeees !

Here comes the Sun !
Winter is on the Ruuun !
Spring is about to Sprung !

Hmmm. We never noticed,
those large feet tracks before,
could that be,
...
no,
its just our feet prints,
all clumped together,
for warmth.

Here comes the Sun !
Spring thaw has begun !

Oh, I was once a starship pilot,
the newer faster ships,
seem to require reflexes some claim,
I no longer have.

Like they would know what a starship required,
in the way of reflexes,
riiight.

But I've seen fire and rain,
on planets with no name,
Stars exploding off the port bow,
and brigands closing in from starboard !

Now I just sweep the floor,
in this old food dive,
some days even the insects,
wont fight over the food.

It is not bad food,
they are just too tired,
to fight over it.

I had a good ship and crew,
we went through many a Jump,
sometimes we came out the other side,
sideways, oh, that was an interesting week,
or the time that asteroid spoke to us.

Wanted directions to find an old,
watering hole it remembered,
from primordial times.

We just told it our maps were out of date,
its maps were to.

But now I live in,
a 4 story 'walk up the stairs',
the elevator will be fixed,
any day now.

Or so reads the sign,
probably written back in,
the 20th century,
oh yeah.

I was told,
my reflexes are gone,
at the terribly old age of twenty-three !

But I remember that time,
not so long ago,
when the cosmos was very new,
and we traveled this galactic arm,
looking for people out there !

We found, well, a talking plant,
and some dancing mold,
they waved good-bye to us,
as we journeyed onward,
oh,
but those days are gone.

Excuse me,
I have to finish sweeping the floor.

[ exit ]