Art (above): Joseph John Racano
Gardens of Babylon
They ogled the masses and then they were gone
The Lost Hanging Gardens of old Babylon
Grown in the desert from the shriveled and curled
To be one of seven wonders of the Lord’s ancient world
They trekked snow-capped mountains, some leap-frogged the seas
Pilgrimaged continents with seeds for the trees
Smuggled rare ferns in, disguised as their hats
Brought in forbidden seeds fed to their rats
Diverted the rivers with conduits of stone
Underground waterways bubbling with foam
Inside a rock valley cylinder entombed
Could but for the camo be seen from the moon
For the painfully few, those allowed in the know
No trip of distance was too far to go
To enter dark tunnels that led under sand
To the greatest of wonders of a most ancient land
Where eyes once adjusted saw staggering sights
The giant pots hung from unknowable heights
And cool rushing waters sloshed fresh underfoot
All Kings of the world in their places were put
Then came the passing of great winds and time
The rocks became sand and the sand turned to lime
But here for a moment, and that moment was gone
Who knows the fate of the great Babylon?
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/25/2021
Art: TSonline
The Girl with a Tickle in her Brain
The call came in from Maternity ward
And brought to the attention of the Hospital Board
A girl was born with a tickle-in-the-brain
The question being was or was she not insane
She started moving little things around the room
Then it was a dust pan and the big push broom
The doctors and the nurses all were quite surprised
Acute telekinesis and electric eyes
Her parents wouldn’t give consent to further testing
They believed the baby should be home and resting
They schooled her in the home every day ‘till three
And hid all the remotes but she still watched TV
She drank up all the news and saw a world at war
But couldn’t understand what all the fighting was for
The Nature channel moved the girl until she cried
But everything was different when she looked outside
Finally they had to let her out to play
When others saw what she could do they ran away
She liked to use her thoughts to turn the street lights on
Her mind was growing powerful, a magic wand
The world was out of balance with more bad than good
Others couldn’t fix it, but she knew she could
So one day when the air pollution made her cough
She came to the conclusion it should be turned off
Headed for the outskirts and she climbed a hill
The world would be administered a bitter pill
Sitting on the grassy hillside, legs were crossed
She would shut the rat race down at any cost
It was obvious the leaders didn’t give a shit
So she closed her eyes and followed through with it
She tapped the power of the tickle in her brain
The birds came out to sing and the sky began to rain
Sixty-five years later, she turned it all back on
But all the trains were rusted and the industries were gone
Mighty trees grew from the cracks at center in the street
And buffalo came thundering by on mighty hooven feet
The garbage dumps had sunk to sumps, migrations filled the air
Where stacks once plumed, bright flowers bloomed and nothing wild was rare
Then came many landings by our neighbors from the stars
“You saved it just in time, or Planet Earth would look like Mars”
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/24/2021
Artwork: Fantazyme
Wandering Child
Her ancestors lived here for ten thousand years
Their legends foretold a sky raining with tears
And so it became more than legend one day
When came the great melting that swept them away
Lost from her village that day on the beach
She grabbed for a white woolen rug within reach
And that is the story of how she became
The wandering child of Polar Bear fame
All and around her the ice cubes did swirl
How could she know they were icebergs, this girl?
No longer mountainous pillars of ice
But when she grew thirsty they tasted quite nice
And what of the snowy behemoth beneath her
Swimming through seas that reflected the ether
Shielding her body from bone chilling cold
This was the story the legends had told
Now and again did the girl set her eyes on
Just a mirage on the empty horizon
Still did the beautiful, dutiful bear
Use ursine paws to ferry her there
While she making notes in the small of a book
Scanned for a landing on some rock or nook
Alas though, the ocean withheld sanctuary
And both dreamed at night of the plant and the berry
Drifting together off into the mists
She having written the longest of lists
To document all for some future society
What had been lost due to mans impropriety
The squirrels, the rabbits the rhinos the shrews
The polished white castles in marble tone hews
Industries, Christmas trees Bible, Koran
Created and ultimately undone by man
epilogue-
And now even here in the future is said
Those on the coast late at night in their bed
Can still hear the scratch of her wandering pen
Drifting the seas on her furry white friend
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/21/2021
Artwork: Lucy Campbell
Eve of the Apocalypse
On the eve of the apocalypse
At the Temple of Rangoon
An eclipse threw bourbon shadows
On the dark face of the moon
A cross above the temple’s portal
Burned with ghostly flame
Illuminating sepulchers
Of mortals with no names
Lost amid the hazy skies
The stars of old above
Now nearly indiscernible
Though once as bold as love
And here we gather on the rocks
Still warm with solar heat
To one last time rewind our clocks
The Big Bang shall repeat
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/8/19/2021
Art: Luca-Lisci
AD 3520
Thirty-five twenty, hand transfer your money
Lounging in the Porto-car, approaching destination star
Juices served, with hors d'oeuvres, zero-gravity in case we swerve
Thought controlled accessories, mind-control screen memories
Automatic tires, meteorite-metal wires
Use high beam corona for maximum Daytona
Mercurial slingshot, disengage the robot
Reverse polarity, enter singularity, donate to your favorite charity
Thirty-five twenty-one, focus on a distant sun
Porto-car two point oh, feel your fascination grow
Wander off the beaten track, jet star moonbeam Cadillac
Launched from Bristol, faster than a pistol
Underway replenishment, dilithium chrystal
Thirty five twenty three, man as he was meant to be
Universe sterile, all in peril, just another laboratory bug gone feral
Encapsulate message, initiate sendage, simulation ended, none befriended
Time reversal, switch to inertial, please stay with us as we break for commercial
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/4/2021
Photo: Applecar
Thirty-five twenty, hand transfer your money
Lounging in the Porto-car, approaching destination star
Juices served, with hors d'oeuvres, zero-gravity in case we swerve
Thought controlled accessories, mind-control screen memories
Automatic tires, meteorite-metal wires
Use high beam corona for maximum Daytona
Mercurial slingshot, disengage the robot
Reverse polarity, enter singularity, donate to your favorite charity
Thirty-five twenty-one, focus on a distant sun
Porto-car two point oh, feel your fascination grow
Wander off the beaten track, jet star moonbeam Cadillac
Launched from Bristol, faster than a pistol
Underway replenishment, dilithium chrystal
Thirty five twenty three, man as he was meant to be
Universe sterile, all in peril, just another laboratory bug gone feral
Encapsulate message, initiate sendage, simulation ended, none befriended
Time reversal, switch to inertial, please stay with us as we break for commercial
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/4/2021
Photo: Applecar
New York-henge
We saw the place, the place was strange
It caused an urge to rearrange
The angles sharp, no surface smooth
It made one tense and did not soothe
We watched it from a distance off
The structure hard, the back ground soft
It did not fit and nor pretend
The elders called it New York-henge
Our camp was warm beneath the stars
That night we slept in line with Mars
We boiled soup from old shoe leather
Clouds rolled in and came the weather
Raindrops fell creating mist
Some hit New York-henge and hissed
Still hot after all those years
All night long Earth rained her tears
Once we saw a dog or cat
Scramble this way then turn that
Much too far for spear or bow
Drank our shoe-soup ate a crow
Morning came the storm rolled out
The land returned to long-term drought
A species left the world such pains
New York-henge the last remains
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/19/2020
Art: RanarH
We saw the place, the place was strange
It caused an urge to rearrange
The angles sharp, no surface smooth
It made one tense and did not soothe
We watched it from a distance off
The structure hard, the back ground soft
It did not fit and nor pretend
The elders called it New York-henge
Our camp was warm beneath the stars
That night we slept in line with Mars
We boiled soup from old shoe leather
Clouds rolled in and came the weather
Raindrops fell creating mist
Some hit New York-henge and hissed
Still hot after all those years
All night long Earth rained her tears
Once we saw a dog or cat
Scramble this way then turn that
Much too far for spear or bow
Drank our shoe-soup ate a crow
Morning came the storm rolled out
The land returned to long-term drought
A species left the world such pains
New York-henge the last remains
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/19/2020
Art: RanarH
My Dino Book
Out for fun one Summers day
My dog, myself and I
Took a path through a wood
With occasionally good
Open glimpses of the sky
We stopped to eat (a granola bar)
And sat by the edge of a brook
We fell into a long, deep sleep
While leafing through a book
We arose to flies of enormous size
And bugs that were up to our knees
Big humongous spongy fungus
Hung from all the trees
A boulder I was sitting on
Turned out to be a turtle
When it lifted up and walked away
My scream would've made your blood curdle
Onward we pushed further into the forest
Right through a family unit of Loris
The leaf padded floor was soft and porous
Acoustically perfect for natural chorus
Then we discovered a narrow passage
And blindly we felt our way through
Stumbling out of the other side
Where the sky was a shocking blue
We had now entered a valley
Untouched since the dawning of time
Where huge ferns swayed and dragon-flies played
In a balmy primordial clime
Leathery birds soared
Feathery lizards roared
There were mile-long herds
Of gigantic dinosaurs
We walked on the rocks
Avoiding the quicksand
Found perfect places
To set up our trail-cams
We'd check all the film
When we came through again
And sell the best photographs
To CNN
Then I woke up- still back at the brook
I had fallen asleep with my dinosaur book
So I packed up the camp and headed back home
With no explanation for the pics on my phone!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/27/2020
Artwork: vitogh
Crystal Planet
The Earth began to crystallize at 5:18
Weirdest set of circumstances ever seen
Just sat down and I started lunch
Someone cut the power and I heard this crunch
Don’t know how it happened but it happened fast
Now my big concern is if the change will last
Rumor has it someone spilled enriched plutonium
Turned the planet's surface into rubis zirconium
Apparently a plan to sell a bunch of jewelry
But mother nature doesn’t tolerate tom foolery
Now sitting at the park to feed the birds is through
Benches made of crystal make me black and blue
Everybody’s signing up to go to Mars
Those who can’t afford a ticket drink in bars
Never realized how close to Earth we felt
Maybe in the heat of Summer this will melt
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/13/2020
Art: (Polysphere) by Lacza
Icarus One
Four Corners Regional, this is Icarus one
The monsoons are seasonal, they have begun
Took out some geese with the engine on starboard
Clipped our left wing it was made out of cardboard
Roger that Icarus One do you copy
Check your fuel level the ground crew got sloppy
Routing you now to a circular pattern
Radar is down, navigate using Saturn
Roger that Four Corners swinging around
Seems to be something below hanging down
Icarus we can see that from down here
We can confirm that it’s your landing gear
Notify crew using silent alarm
Tell all the passengers they won’t be harmed
Open the manual find a new route
Then deploy forward emergency chute
Icarus One your port engines on fire
Too near the ground can you take her up higher
Tie-downs have all ripped away from the cleats
Get all the passengers strapped in their seats
Four Corners Regional, Icarus One
Looks like there isn’t much left can be done
Taking her down try to ditch in the sand
Icarus One that’s a good place to land
epilogue
Searching for gold in the desert southwest
A prospector stopped for a moment to rest
Found an old airliner made it his home
Now he and the passengers live in this poem
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/12/2020
Artwork: John Scott
Magic Time Machine Restaurant
Late one night while out with friends
I’d had too much to drink
Decided ‘here’s where my night ends’
And threw up in the sink
Called a cab to take me home
The driver heard me say
I had to have a bite to eat
And stopped along the way
The sign said ‘Magic Time Machine’
It looked just like a diner
But everything was nice and clean
And food don’t get much finer
I finished up and paid the check
And tipped a buck or two
Then stepped outside and, 'what the heck?'
'-It was nineteen forty-two!!'
I don’t know how old you are
But thing’s to me seemed queer
I called a cab and, what a car
I love that model year
I checked my pockets I was broke
And so went back inside
All was as had been before
And I thought, what a ride
I washed the liquor off my breath
And headed back outside
The whole place now was Disneyland
With a great big water slide
This was all too much for me
I ran back in the diner
Waitress called the cops on me
For drinking as a minor
Had no choice and left that place
Straight into google plex
A city on the edge of space
And folks were all one sex
Never great with ladies, I
But this would never do
I flagged an uber from the sky
And asked ‘what should I do?’
He advised go back inside
And don’t come out again
You still have a cell phone
You should try to call your friends
No one picked it up of course
Such times they never do
I left a voicemail, sounding hoarse
I think I’ll try the stew
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano
Kom-totta-loo
It seemed like only yesterday
They jumped from a plane
Confident of mastery
Over the skydiving game
Traveling metropolitans
With wind-blown hair
Floating down in tandem
Through the tropical air
They had to pull their cords
To steer away from shore
Sinking toward a hole
They hadn’t noticed before
Hidden by the jungle
But a city block wide
It swallowed up the couple
As they slowly sank inside
Kom-totta-loo
So the legend goes
A place that time forgot
When everyplace else froze
Kom-totta-loo
The native’s 'hidden promised land’
They floated in together
And they landed hand in hand
The first thing they noticed
Was the lack of any sound
The rushing water ankle deep
Was swirling ‘round and ‘round
Each undid the other’s harness
As their eyes adjusted
Tripping over helicopters
Broken wrecked and rusted
Somewhere in the darkness
They heard a rumbling growl
‘Baby, I’m afraid’ she said
‘The air smells rank and foul’
Overhead their entry-point
Was clearly out of reach
The only other option leading
Inland from the beach
A passageway, a tunnel
Over time-worn beaten sand
They walked into what native’s called
The 'hidden promised land’
Kom-totta-loo
Land beneath the trees
Native’s rarely speak the name
And only from their knees
Kom-totta-loo
Halfway point to hell
Place of no-return where only
Evil spirits dwell
Reaching in his pocket
He drew a match for fire
Watched it flicker in a draft
And then it’s flame expired
Giving them direction
And a needed course of action
Slipping on the moistened rocks
That made it hard for traction
The suffocating darkness
Made it very hard to see
The ancient drawings on the wall
From many moons B.C.
He lit another precious match
She held tight to his arm
The drawings were of monsters
And they gave her great alarm
Also on the wall he saw
A blackened carbon scorch
Not long after that they found
A useful tiki-torch
Allowing them to follow
All the pictures on the wall
They walked against the draft
And listened hard for freedoms call
Moving somewhere close behind
They heard a shuffling sound
The creatures of the darkness
Must be swarming all around
They knew they wouldn’t last for long
Inside this maze of caves
Ending up as dinner or
As two of Satan’s slaves
The spirits were behind them
They heard waves up ahead
They had to make a move or else
They soon could end up dead
At the limit of the torchlight
They saw an open hole
From it came the splashing of
Their open ocean goal
Arm in arm they took another
Second leap of faith
Dropping in the water
Leaving darkness to the wraithe
In only but a moment
They were outside on the beach
Setting up a signal for
A rescuer to reach
Then that rescue came thereafter
In a month or two
No one really knowing if
The harrowed tale was true
Later when they led a party
Back to find the hole
They didn’t find a cavern nor
A cave or Christian soul
Kom-totta-loo
Drop in again and soon
Darkness will be waiting for you
‘Neath the black new moon
Kom-totta-loo
Halfway point to hell
There the natives say is where
The evil spirits dwell
Joseph John Racano
Carbuncle and the Red Ruby Stone
Exploring where South Patagonia ends
Yaffa the Seeker lost family and friends
And swallowed they were every man woman child
Befelled by the Amazon’s least-known reptile
Blue of the scale and three of the eyes
Chameleon, Chimera, master of disguise
Guarding Set’s ruby and making a meal
Of any and all that red ruby would steal
Fifteen the hundred and twenty the year
Yaffa’s safari did portage their gear
Travelled the jungles and only at night
With one witch along to track ruby’s red light
Swatting mosquitoes, canoes at the shoulder
Making way inland as Yaffa grew bolder
‘I’ll have that ruby, by birth it’s my right
I’ll slay that foul Carbuncle later this night!’
He rested but sparingly forging ahead
Visions of scarlet vermillion and dread
Tipping canoes to cross starry glass waters
Risking his sons and imperiling daughters
Finally they came to the thicket of Set
Witch pointing out a light red as could get
Out lept the Carbuncle pouncing on bone
Leaving just Yaffa to journey back home
epilogue
And so was the red light to haunt all his dreams
Cursed be that ruby, his avarice and schemes
Pity poor Yaffa, the blame all his own
No family no friends and no red ruby stone
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/10/2021
Art: Cosmic Tundra
Sea Sitting
I have to run some errands
I’m leaving you in charge
There’s fish and fritters in the fridge
And bedding on the barge
I’ll be away for quite some time
To work on star productions
Everything will work out fine
Just follow my instructions
Watch out for the tuna nets
Stay away from coves
Try to spend a lot of time
Where fish ball up in droves
The world is full of turmoil
It leaks into the sea
Keep away from seaworld
If you want to remain free
Get to dolphin school on time
Do all the work required
Just ignore the men on land
They soon will be expired
Help with rescues, love the whales
Do what mermaids tell you
Always wash with warm salt water
Else the Great Whites smell you
Keep in mind you’re emissaries
Always jump real high
Flip around and never frown
When pleasure boats pass by
In seven cycles I’ll return
To host the big eclipse
‘Til then I’ll remember
Both your faces just like this
Joseph John Racano
Hidden Art of Borneo
A thousand miles by jet airplane
through mist and fog and driven rain
To a landing strip on an unlit isle
And rendezvous with an indigenous smile
Then check the packs for sustenance
Lace up boots, we leave at once
Eight brave souls in jungle hats
Single file into the land of big cats
Portage kayak then up dark river
By hang-moons light and just a sliver
Paddle ‘till we’ve reached the end
Then jungle path and ‘round a bend
Four days travel through jungly steam
Dampened shoes cross splattered stream
Guttural calls cry from the distance
Flashlights keep at bay resistance
Four days later eight emerge
Mountain looms emotions surge
Ancient treasure awaits on high
Now the eight must climb or die
Leave behind the jungle floor
Climb one stone then reach for more
Far below the cats lament
Wondering where their dinner went
Far above, a time machine
Artwork from the Pleistocene
Halfway up a wall of clouds
Hidden knowledge, misty shrouds
Here the mountain opens maw
Ancient cave and fossil claw
Shedding gear they slip inside
Shining beams where beings could hide
And there upon the farthest wall
The greatest artworks of them all
Carved perhaps with Mammoth’s tusk
Scented with his Earthy musk
Sixty thousand years and more
Styled by hands from eons yore
Humans in the early phase
Long before the urban craze
Soon the science was complete
High adventure cave retreat
Artist fate they could not guess
Cave goes on; explore the rest
Sudden light at tunnels bend
Ancient cave has open end
Hidden world on other side
To be explored on our next ride
Joseph John Racano
Hibiscus Gerbil
On a camel caravan we left for Afghanistan
Pack horses packed stretched clear back to Pakistan
Hiding by day and now traveling by night
Sliver of moon guide providing our light
Climbing the faces of broad sandy dunes
Cresting them all with an eye out for ruins
Ruins that were said to contain an old temple
Age of Baroque’s last remaining example
Shepherded forth by the wind driven sands
Sworn to a man ne’er to return to these lands
We found and we entered a calming oasis
Tying the animals each twenty paces
Greeted by forces both armed well as servile
All sworn allegiance to Hibiscus Gerbil
(Bang) rang a gong as the Gerbil pranced in
(Dang) to ourselves said the horses and men
(Swish!) went the strings of a harp soon thereafter
(Wish) to ourselves while outside howled disaster
Entered the Gerbil and ladies so fine
Come to find out they were his concubine!
(Up!) licked the flames of a galley-cook fire
(Chop!) dropped the cleavers drawn once again higher
(Neigh!) cried the horses uneasy with fright
(Shush!) now I comforted animals plight
Instructed to sit in a cross-legged circle
I sat at the six o’clock, twelve sat the Gerbil
“Accept ye’ our frankincence, sage and sweet herbs
but for the winds a concerto of birds”
“And now as we sup I will ask of ye’ words
Why have ye’ braven this land of the Kurds?
To lands that are dry and will never get wetter?”
He handed me wine and I gave him a sweater
Then came the dancers with robes and arms flowing
Beautiful Persians with faces a- glowing
“Choose if you will your new bride from among them
If ye’ refuse you already have hung them”
I bowed to the Gerbil my choice was made easy
A dancer in red used her motions to tease me
In came the warlords whose swords tossed like discus
“Thank you” I said to the mighty Hibiscus
Suddenly all was as still as the norm
Nowhere was wind or the sound of a storm
The temple was gone and so was the Gerbil
And all of it vanished no matter how servile
But we of the caravan we all were still there
Only the traces of sand in our hair
The horses and camels drank oasis rinses
And lucky was I, on my horse sat my princess!
Back did we turn riding all through the night
Slowing to rest at the suns morning light
Now back home in Ollibad, to me all are servile
As I am to he, the great Hibiscus Gerbil
Joseph John Racano
The Day the Machine Stopped
The end of harsh vibrations
Set the ears a-ringing
Began the celebrations
and set the birds a-singing
Released from zoos
Purged from jails
Tide pool denisons
Poured from pails
Traps snapped open
Doors came ajar
Manholes uncovered
Vanished gray bar
The Day the Machine Stopped
No longer machine shopped
The end of the robots
Moss grew on the roof tops
Squirrels crossed a stream
On a bridge of rocks
Alka-seltzer fizzled
All the Alcatraz locks
Aviaries opened
Birds flew free
Apiaries offered honey
Bear to the Bee
Tribes rose up
Armies lay down
Bison on the prairie
Made a thunderous sound
The Day the Machine Stopped
No longer machine shopped
The end of the robots
Moss grew on the roof tops
Joseph John Racano
Castle-in-the-Lake
Hidden deep beneath the fathoms
Amid the stone and jagged chasms
'neath the blue ubiquity
Beckoning from antiquity
Fairies loop its ornate spires
Wizards tend to Iron-Age fires
Massive blocks of rock revenge
Distant cousins of Stonehenge
Found beneath a lake in Turkey
Dressed in algae, waters murky
Live again, o' great Urarte
Beat again your ancient heart-way
Open up your crystal towers
Tall stalagmite crusted flowers
Raise your too long dormant sword
Rule again both rock and fjord
Joseph John Racano
The Celebration of Summer's Dusk
I remember an evening of summer's dusk
When the birds fell silent and the air held musk
I glanced up skyward and the clouds glowed red
A giant smoking arrow flew o'er my head
In a moment it was gone; the air again fell still
But smoke hung as mute testimony draped over the hill
In my ears buzzed a sound with all a queen bee's charms
I looked down to see a mystic writing on my arms
There was no one else around, no one I could show
Here it was late August and light rain turned into snow!
Nothing was the same from that eventful evening on
And all because of something strange, no sooner here than gone
My tribesmen didn't listen and they all thought me a kook
The Witch Doctor himself had now called me a crazy spook
With nothing to compare it to, I never could explain
Especially when all that snow had turned back into rain
I grew up to be old and wise, the leader of the tribe
The arrow passed a few more times and things began to jibe
We all declared a holiday each year to mark its passing
And even built these totems to whoever was harassing
Now every August summers dusk, we climb atop a mountain
Shoot our flaming arrows up, to land inside a fountain
And watch the sky with reverence awaiting their return
Another race that came from space, we had so much to learn
Joseph John Racano
photos: Racano
I remember an evening of summer's dusk
When the birds fell silent and the air held musk
I glanced up skyward and the clouds glowed red
A giant smoking arrow flew o'er my head
In a moment it was gone; the air again fell still
But smoke hung as mute testimony draped over the hill
In my ears buzzed a sound with all a queen bee's charms
I looked down to see a mystic writing on my arms
There was no one else around, no one I could show
Here it was late August and light rain turned into snow!
Nothing was the same from that eventful evening on
And all because of something strange, no sooner here than gone
My tribesmen didn't listen and they all thought me a kook
The Witch Doctor himself had now called me a crazy spook
With nothing to compare it to, I never could explain
Especially when all that snow had turned back into rain
I grew up to be old and wise, the leader of the tribe
The arrow passed a few more times and things began to jibe
We all declared a holiday each year to mark its passing
And even built these totems to whoever was harassing
Now every August summers dusk, we climb atop a mountain
Shoot our flaming arrows up, to land inside a fountain
And watch the sky with reverence awaiting their return
Another race that came from space, we had so much to learn
Joseph John Racano
photos: Racano
Message to the Ground Crew
Congratulations, it's 2017
Now we shall explain some things you may have seen
And no, you're not alone, the Universe is full
Your leaders have been handing you a truckload full of bull
But we feel it is important now that you have come of age
So we've been leaving messages, your cornfield is our page
We understand you want to leave, perhaps to dig up Mars
Maybe using labor who've been hanging out at bars
Tsk tsk, too much risk- this will never do
But if you want to leave your Earth we've made this map for you:
Earth is in the center, your moon is to the right
Go left at California, then jump into endless night
It really is that simple and all you have to do
Is follow close behind the spaceship that's ahead of you
You may have trouble keeping up if they do light-speed 8
In space you simply can't just shout 'Hey, you up there, please wait!!'
And then of course you may decide the next world would be better;
But Argo Twelve is cold as hell, you might just bring a sweater
Moving on, there Taz-Sixteen, the people there are really mean
And next to that is the Planet Rat, avoid that nasty scene!
The next four planets that might hold life don't seem to have a lot of strife
But getting to them, that's the trick- you'd have to travel far and quick
And did you bring a passway card, the guy in charge is mighty hard
On aliens, if that you be, salute him with arms one two and three!
And that's the story my good folk
This allegory is a joke
No matter what they tell you now
You're stuck on Earth, you're stuck and how
It's just too far, you're too fucked up
The aliens know you fuck shit up
Nobody wants your stupid shit
You're stuck on Earth man, this is it
Joseph John Racano
3/21/17
Congratulations, it's 2017
Now we shall explain some things you may have seen
And no, you're not alone, the Universe is full
Your leaders have been handing you a truckload full of bull
But we feel it is important now that you have come of age
So we've been leaving messages, your cornfield is our page
We understand you want to leave, perhaps to dig up Mars
Maybe using labor who've been hanging out at bars
Tsk tsk, too much risk- this will never do
But if you want to leave your Earth we've made this map for you:
Earth is in the center, your moon is to the right
Go left at California, then jump into endless night
It really is that simple and all you have to do
Is follow close behind the spaceship that's ahead of you
You may have trouble keeping up if they do light-speed 8
In space you simply can't just shout 'Hey, you up there, please wait!!'
And then of course you may decide the next world would be better;
But Argo Twelve is cold as hell, you might just bring a sweater
Moving on, there Taz-Sixteen, the people there are really mean
And next to that is the Planet Rat, avoid that nasty scene!
The next four planets that might hold life don't seem to have a lot of strife
But getting to them, that's the trick- you'd have to travel far and quick
And did you bring a passway card, the guy in charge is mighty hard
On aliens, if that you be, salute him with arms one two and three!
And that's the story my good folk
This allegory is a joke
No matter what they tell you now
You're stuck on Earth, you're stuck and how
It's just too far, you're too fucked up
The aliens know you fuck shit up
Nobody wants your stupid shit
You're stuck on Earth man, this is it
Joseph John Racano
3/21/17
Heart of the Hadron
episode one
'Twas the Heart of the Hadron 2017
The janitor was cleaning beneath the machine
He couldn't help notice every time he looked up
The odd cobalt colors of this massive pup
The hour was late, no one else was around
That's when he heard that queer far-away sound
It sounded like buzzing inside of his neck
He dealt with a chill and then thought what the heck
Gargantuan though this Collider might be
The subterranean hole could fit three
The janitor felt sure that no one would care
If he placed a nylon rope hammok down there
And many a night when the mopping was through
The janitor dreamed of the things he would do
By climbing atop the great cobalt machine
He visited places not previously seen
Anyway, this one particular night
The monolith hummed and glowed curious light
The janitor finally climbed up to the top
And sat where the reddish light came to a stop
He thought he could feel imperceptible movement
His balance was poor so he clung for improvement
And that's when the 'lectric red humming began
A bright light from somewhere beam gave him a scan
He sat on the top, let go of his mop
and looked at the floor to see where it would drop
Bells started ringing, phone channels singing
and things like big springs did their thing, started springing
He clutched the machine for all he was worth
Somehow innately knew this was rebirth
He stretched out his arms and he clung to its girth
A bright shiny surface reflected his mirth
Doors all flung open and people poured in
Scientists didn't know where to begin
The janitors ride took them all by surprise
Evidenced in all their wild wide eyes
Rotations accelerated by the minute
A gaseous mist was his cloak- he was in it
Cobalt then red then to blue and maroon
In two seconds flat he went right past the Moon
Where on the dark side he could see all the bases
And all the surprised looks on all the faces
Cities and building and big quonset huts
Built for what purpose known only to nuts
Then off to Mars where a lovely red planet
Brought to his mind his first girlfriend named Janet
Oh but if she could just see me right now
Janitor no, she'd be like, "Holy cow!"
And off to one planetoid after another
Saying goodbye to his Earth and his mother
One last look back and then boldly go on
Perhaps where the Comets and angels had gone
While back in the hole where it all used to be
Authorities asked "Tell us, what did you see?"
But the scientists were all so caught up in the numbers
You could have got better info from cucumbers
That's when they noticed beyond all belief
The mop, like a horse stood there ready to leave
Glowing and bucking and ready to bolt
But who had the courage to ride on this colt?
Back out in space, the janitor zoomed
Out past where Horsehead the nebula plumed
The vibrating Hadron had put him to sleep
He now was the cosmos forever to keep
Joseph John Racano
[email protected]/03/04/2017
Heart of the Hadron
episode two
Dallying in Space
When last we saw our hero he was zooming through space
Light speed travel took a toll on his face
But interstellar travel has it’s secrets, too
Cosmological cosmetics can take years off you
The journey got unbalanced when the janitor twisted
At light speed he was growing old before he existed
He had to make a move and had to do it right now
So he grabbed the mop bucket and it shifted -pow!
Next thing that he knew the stars were slowing down
Groggy as he felt he feared that he might drown
Outer space is not the place to take things lightly
So when he met an alien he spoke politely
“Hello, I’m from Earth and I’m a ways from home”
The alien replied but in a musical tone
The janitor was sure he recognized the song
And he was pretty sure that copyrights don’t last this long
Besides the alien was talking in slow motion
And juxtaposed with space the thing made quite a commotion
The alien just pointed three hands down the road
And the janitor took off again without his load
Far out up ahead he saw an onrushing mop
Grabbed it as he passed it and it made him stop
He threw it in the bucket and he said ‘ok’
Straddling the Hadron cross the Milky Way
Something made him look behind from where he’d come
There he saw a scientist who rode steel drum
Propelling it through space by playing musical raggae
His dredlocks waved around and he was smoking a ‘J’
The two of them maneuvered nearly side by side
Sizzling at the speed magnetic Hadrons collide
“Come back mon’ said the scientist as he took a puff
That shit is so expensive mon, you’ve got our stuff!’
The janitor looked over at a moon they had passed
And signaled he would land and they could talk at last
‘Ya mon’ said the scientist steel drummed and dredded
Then he turned around and saw where they were headed
The two became as one, their crafts weighed a ton
and they realized they had landed on the Planet Fun!
There were dancing children, singing birds
and colorful flowers that sprouted words
There were dinosaur vines, and Lodge-pole Pines
There was gold and silver without any mines
They found themselves surrounded by a people quite well rounded
who said the voices in their heads had kept them all well grounded
After much good merriment, they ended the experiment
and scientist and janitor climbed back aboard and there they went
Speeding through the vacuum of an interstellar highway
Headed for adventure searching planet, moon and Skyway
Perhaps the two would someday
take these teachings back to home…
where the Scientist would present it all
to the Hadron-streaking Gnome
Joseph John Racano
Kindly Saint Francis
Kindly Saint Francis bringer of light
Land in our midst as a thief in the night
Show us the power to forego the throne
Open your palms and give lost birds a home
Teach mighty armies that peace is the way
Redirect highways that squirrels might play
Educate farmers to live in a garden
Offer the lowest among us full pardon
Kindly Saint Francis lead by example
Give us a lesson the strident may sample
Diamonds and pearls can be strewn on the floor
But they who know birdsong have very much more
Draw back the curtains and show the new version
Earth before asphalt, a cosmic inversion
Kneel down to drink from the streams of our nation
Water from rain shouldn't need our filtration
The hour is late, we must learn of our worth
Our unbridled power as one with the Earth
Names on the deed that the meek shall inherit
Are cricket and firefly, gosling and ferret
Joseph John Racano
Copyright@JosephJohnRacano/09/14/2015
Dedicated to Pope Francis on his historic trip to America, 2015
Art: 'Bringer of Light' by Ingo Swann
Logan's Run
Run, dear Logan, you must run
Don't fall prey to the Homer Gun
Life below ground is no fun
Escape the dome and see the sun
Question, Logan, everything
Ask yourself why birds don't sing
Question why there is no spring
Wonder what would freedom bring
Hide dear Logan, you must hide
Through the jungle you must glide
Ruins are on the other side
There an old man does reside
Learn, dear Logan, you must learn
Why the world before yours burned
Conservation mankind spurned
Through the intakes Plankton churned
Try dear Logan, understand
How they scorched the sea and land
Greed condemned the son of man
To life below the desert sand
Tell them Logan, you must tell
Tell the children how we fell
Lack of limits on ourselves
Turned a heaven into hell
Joseph John Racano
5/23/15
Paradigm Change
We are Paradigm Change
Save the world and rearrange
Unlike those who came before
We empty tanks, unlock the door
We are the new beginning
Together with the Earth and winning
The animals you used to shoot
We shoot with camera, no dispute
We are the brand new dawn
Making sure old ways are gone
Ears are deaf to lies and spin
Open hearts we let love in
We are Paradigm Change
Wild as Mustangs on the range
Not against but with the flow
You’re invited- just let go!
Joseph John Racano
Title:
Encore with an Albacore
verse I
With wood and strings in a tough road case
I sought adventures warm embrace
and dared the high surf winter brings
to California’s cliffs and things
Verse II
And there to seek a song duet
with any whale that I could get
I’d play rhythm, he’d play lead
We all have chops, no need for greed
Chorus:
I took position just offshore
My metronome set to 4/4
I rapped with my conductors wand
to gain the attention of a mermaid blonde
Verse III
The sun had lined the clouds in pink
Cumulo- somethings, all, I think
The sky alive with laughing birds
An inside joke of avian words
Verse IV
About this time an orca arrived
Resplendent tux but a bit contrived
Giving him benefit of the doubt
I was still surprised when his voice came out
Bridge:
Soon every creature in the Bay
joined in the ensemble, ready to play
Hermit Crabs tuned shell-french horns
moving out of shells they’d already worn
Verse V
Breaking the surface came a huge Great Blue
spouting notes in a rainbow hue
His whale breath said as it rose up high
“Excuse me while I kiss the sky”
Chorus:
Jellyfish glowed as the sun went down
Humpback bass was a filling sound
A Palegic prowler provided peace
Barracuda Bonds bailed out his niece
Verse VI
Late that night when the cops pulled up
they singled out a teen, and checked his cup
They made him pour it out and let him off with a warning
The tide was going out, it was almost morning
Finale:
Up to the stage came a mother Albacore
but the police warned us about another encore
“It was a hell of a party, but it has to end”
There was no use complaining- what a jam, my friend!
Joseph John Racano
End
Converge with me
How would you like to converge with me?
A communion of strangers whose love is the sea
And oh, what a glorious thing it would be
Me teaching you and you teaching me
What better way could there be to combine
Shining as people were all meant to shine
Imagine the rush of two people, one mind
Internally melding into the sublime
Joseph John Racano
art: Jeff Wefferson
The People and the Rainbow Bridge
(true story of the Chumash Tribe)
Long, long ago before the seismic test
Santa Cruz Island was the people's nest
Created from the seeds of a magic plant
they enjoyed stringing shells and a peaceful chant
Their Goddess Hutash had a husband Snake,
who lived in the sky, and could lightning make
When a bolt hit the ground, and gave the people fire
they began to grow in number, ever higher and higher
The island got crowded and it was decided
Rainbow Bridge would link two lands divided
People crossed the bridge as the Goddess told them
but some became afraid it was too weak to hold them
They teetered for a moment, then they fell right through!
The others had to watch, nothing they could do
Some made it across, but they were very concerned
about what happened to the fallen, so they stopped and turned
When they looked back, they were delighted to see
Goddess turn them into dolphins, swimming wild and free!
Joseph John Racano
When Whales Reclaim a Noiseless Sea
Whales are for the future
they don't belong to us
They're part of something we will be
when we no longer fuss
Whales belong to children
who aren't even born
The ones who someday will inherit
everything we've torn
The future has no armies
The people live in peace
all work toward a common goal
to clean the seas of grease
Their work is cut out for them
we've left them such a mess!
But the splendors that will be attained
Soldiers healing, not causing pain
Air Force One is a Whooping Crane
All hold hands in a world-wide chain
Diamonds outshone by drops of rain
Buffalo migrate once again
No more poisons down the drain
Possums cling to the lions mane
Ecstatics no longer deemed insane
This is what the world will be
when whales reclaim a noiseless sea
Joseph John Racano
Whale of my Dreams
I awoke before dawn, took a walk on my lawn
and there I saw nibbling, the gentlest fawn
who raised up his head, then smiled and said,
"You're still sound asleep though no longer in bed!"
"Look up at the sky at what's passing by;
-a whale swimming out of a Milky Way Pie!"
I craned back my neck, mouthing, "What in the heck?"
Then it rained stardust, and I captured a fleck
When smeared between fingers it soon did reveal
another whole Universe led by a seal!
"Tell me, good sir, what the hey's going on?
Shall I stay here to dally with whales 'till the dawn?"
"Oh bark!" said the seal, with a fish on his breath
"I'm only the ground crew and half scared to death!"
"Please don't pigeon hole me, or try to console me
I barely get paid and I do what they told me!"
Then, 'whoosh!' went cetaceans up over our heads
through clouds that looked like Anne McCaffrey threads
Their flight was so swift that my neck hurt to turn
Were they whales, or the famed Dragonriders of Pern?
At that point the stars circled in toward the middle
It made me feel small, insignificant, little
But there was no time for regret on this night-
The whales began spouting kaleidoscope light!
Andromedae Galaxy changed its direction
-a trick of the light caused by liquid convection
'A dream', I decided, 'inside of my head'
I turned off the nite-lite and went back to bed!
Joseph John Racano
The Peace Bomb
Came a whistling sound
from somewhere up among white puffy clouds of cotton and mayo
Its crescendo drowned out air-raid sirens, until all the world was a-whistle
At point-of-impact, it became clear- it was a Peace Bomb,
and a painted smile shown itself, smeared amiably across its lowers
Daisy pedals scattered from its innards as it went off with a pop
spreading cluster bells for a thousand miles from ground zero-intolerance
Radioactivity was limited to sunshine and sword-tips to the thorns of roses
as citizens lined the avenues calling for a new beginning
Politicians and world-leaders were instructed by the masses
to enter into a pact with all who dwell beneath rocks, the seas, in the branches of trees
When the incense finally cleared, an army of crickets began chirping
'round a crater of love, and guarded jealously by fawns
Joseph John Racano
Daydream
In the fresh hours after the destruction of New York's World Trade Center
I sat on a park bench strumming guitar beneath a Willow whose arms hunched
over me like a puppeteer over a marionette
I dreamed of the New City of Nostrodamus shining resplendent with smiles
And a noise ordinance requiring above all else- the crickets should be heard
Broad-winged Butterflies held right of way and only the Mantis need pray
Citizens lined the streets calling for peace, not war
Their candles shone like the God within them
A magnesium fire burned in every heart
All waved the flag of love and only the Eagle screamed above
Mosques, Synogogues and Churches, unchained, were allowed to return to meadow
Stained glass became green grass and the Bluebird retook the ghetto
Joseph John Racano
*(reflections 5 days after Sept. 11th, 2001)
Evening with the Nightingale
(a true story)
I spent a summer evening with the Nightingale,
My head upon a pillow, his tucked into his tail
He sang while I was dreaming; I heard him in my
sleep making far too many promises for a little bird to
keep
He promised me a lemon tree, with flowers like perfume
Quite a vivid picture, in the darkness of my room
He promised if I stepped outside, the shadows of the night
would change in hue like drops of dew when speared with morning light
His concert lasted through the night, until the break of day
when Nightingale turned wing and tail -
and simply flew away
Joseph John Racano
If I were a Larkspur
If I were a Larkspur
I would smudge myself on holidays
with arms like blue napkins
and pack myself in a small white box
with soft wrapping paper
If I were a Larkspur
I would dress only in little drops of dew
and let the sunlight shine them off
And when I was completely naked
I would bend in the breeze
and bow to the world
Joseph John Racano
New York-henge
We saw the place, the place was strange
It caused an urge to rearrange
The angles sharp, no surface smooth
It made one tense and did not soothe
We watched it from a distance off
The structure hard, the back ground soft
It did not fit and nor pretend
The elders called it New York-henge
Our camp was warm beneath the stars
That night we slept in line with Mars
We boiled soup from old shoe leather
Clouds rolled in and came the weather
Raindrops fell creating mist
Some hit New York-henge and hissed
Still hot after all those years
All night long Earth rained her tears
Once we saw a dog or cat
Scramble this way then turn that
Much too far for spear or bow
Drank our shoe-soup ate a crow
Morning came the storm rolled out
The land returned to long-term drought
A species left the world such pains
New York-henge the last remains
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/19/2020
Art: RanarH
ARC
Arc of the Covenant
Coveted by the government
As of late inactive
Highly radioactive
Manna from heaven
Just add water
Don’t forget the sunlight
And your first born daughter
Somehow seems irrelevant
Living in a tenement
Standing on the firmament
Eco damage permanent
God’s human chosen species
Ocean dumping feces
Soiling the Garden
Spoiling for a pardon
Arc of the contract
Human/alien contact
Man evicted contract breached
Other planets out of reach
Greatest leveler Father Time
Punishment to fit the crime
Here we stand or he we perish
We have much on Earth to cherish
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/10/2020
Winter Witch
Behold the lair of the Winter Witch
Surrounded by a moat of bubbling pitch
Pungent flavor fills the air
From those who dared venture there
Glowing tiki-torches burn
Fuel of souls too slow to learn
A travelers doom awaits you there
Mesmerized by long black hair
But still you cross above the moat
Where just below you foul things float
You grip the handrails carved from tusk
And black birds dart through misty dusk
A feline sentry guards the door
Saber tooth from ages yore
Conjured back with voodoo stitch
Favored pet of Winter Witch
Crickets chirp their shrill narration
Serving to pique your fascination
Close at hand the kitten growls
Far away the wolfen howls
Finally she is at the door
Floating on a smokey floor
There is not a place to hide
All resistance cast aside
In her eyes an ancient flame
Sees what in me is not tame
Offers me her twisted hand
Kiss the ring, a golden band
Outside is my death of cold
Inside is the scent of mold
With a branch she stirs her soup
Steaming cauldron full of goop
Strokes her tiger starts him purring
All alone the stick keeps stirring
‘Carrots, cel’rey, scorpion’s sting
What am I forgetting- oh one more thing’
Then she smiles and stares right through me
And outside seems a lot less gloomy
I slip her grip and leave my coat
With a will I cross that moat
Kept a racer’s pace all night
Ran until the sky turned light
Across the wood and o’er the hill
Left behind the winter’s chill
Now when snow clouds fill the sky
I just let them pass on by
And have a care where horse I hitch
Beware the lair of the Winter Witch
Joseph John Racano
Artwork: Diana Povero
Dreamer in the Glenn
Some time ago, I know not when
A girl went camping in the Glenn
She brought along a favorite book
And pitched a tent beside a brook
Reading by a candle’s glow
She listened to the water flow
Made some tea and let it steep
Then lay her pretty head to sleep
Swirling ‘round and ‘round she fell
Deep into a starry well
And landed with a sudden ‘whoosh!’
Safely in a bottle bush
Where she the Dreamer in the Glenn
Every creature did befriend
Those who crashed out in the night
Even bugs who sought to bite
Tall thin trees with long green tresses
Who specialized in weaving dresses
Weaved her one from emerald hair
Placed it on a folding chair
After dipping in the brook
She got dressed and loved the look
As did all the creatures ‘round
Sitting cross-leg on the ground
Dreamer dreamer in the Glenn
Never let this moment end
If it isn’t too much fuss
Read your favorite book to us
So she stood inside the circle
Candle light shone starry purple
Animating with her hands
Stories told of other lands
Pyramids and golden bridges
Children’s art on molden fridges
Huge balloons that float on air
Ancient sphinx with glassy stare
Said a voice from know not where:
Mrs. Dreamer, are you there?
You’ve been sleeping, things are dire-
Must wake up now, there’s a fire!
Sure enough the dreamer woke
And saw the truth the voice had spoke
The forest now was filled with smoke
She packed her things and began to choke
And so it was that fateful morn
She loved the place but she was torn
She would return but knew not when
The sleeping Dreamer in the Glenn
Joseph John Racano
Crowdragon
Fresh from the otherworlds
Here but for a sojourn
Cryptic, ecliptic
The dragon-bird in slow burn
Bird of wonder, Thunderbird
Deceptively gigantic
Heart infernal, soul eternal
Dancing the light fantastic
Crowdragon, inter-dimensional
Across-the-void, a darkly sentinel
Messenger from the other side
Special delivery on a two-wing ride
Envoy, escort, black-on-black
Almost blue both nape and back
Half a dragon, half a crow
Killing all who stones would throw
Jet-black raptor taking flight
Peck the eyes out of the night
Cawing, jawing, open mawing
Shadow figure poor for drawing
Talons rend, his great chest heaving
Widows left bereft and grieving
Crowdragon thus done retrieving
Now the time is come for leaving
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/30/2021
Dear friend of Dragons, I humbly offer a poem in the spirit of this Halloween season... please don't try this at home! I give you:
Madame DeBargo
Come in please sit down and take off your shirt
Forgive the harsh ropes but this reading may hurt
And we cannot have you just flailing around
Better by far that we fast tie you down
With tattoo gun ink and occasional suture
Madame DeBargo shall read you the future
Bite on your wallet don’t swallow your tongue
As of today you’re eternally young
Keep staring deeply into the glass ball
Soon you won’t have any memories at all
Madame DeBargo replaces them new
While sculpting your body-wide reptile tattoo
Chiseling down all your teeth with a sharpness
Shading your scales to blend in with the darkness
Now to adorn you with rich gothic jewelry
Crystal glass ball predicts menacing cruelty
Igor reshaping your toenails with emery
Mind of a dragon in place of your memory
Clothing of leather with stud work replete
Four o’clock shadow the change is complete
Thank you for coming to Madame DeBargo
Relieving your wallet of all of its cargo
Vampire devils and demons beware
A new dragon stalks you this night in Times Square!
Joseph John Racano
*Another installment in the ‘Poetry of Dragons’ collection
Poetry of Dragons
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/26/2020
Artwork: Anne Stokes
Madame DeBargo
Come in please sit down and take off your shirt
Forgive the harsh ropes but this reading may hurt
And we cannot have you just flailing around
Better by far that we fast tie you down
With tattoo gun ink and occasional suture
Madame DeBargo shall read you the future
Bite on your wallet don’t swallow your tongue
As of today you’re eternally young
Keep staring deeply into the glass ball
Soon you won’t have any memories at all
Madame DeBargo replaces them new
While sculpting your body-wide reptile tattoo
Chiseling down all your teeth with a sharpness
Shading your scales to blend in with the darkness
Now to adorn you with rich gothic jewelry
Crystal glass ball predicts menacing cruelty
Igor reshaping your toenails with emery
Mind of a dragon in place of your memory
Clothing of leather with stud work replete
Four o’clock shadow the change is complete
Thank you for coming to Madame DeBargo
Relieving your wallet of all of its cargo
Vampire devils and demons beware
A new dragon stalks you this night in Times Square!
Joseph John Racano
*Another installment in the ‘Poetry of Dragons’ collection
Poetry of Dragons
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/26/2020
Artwork: Anne Stokes
Night of the Gryphon
A lonely wind and a chattering chalice
Hanging with steins outside the king’s palace
Torches set flickering on stone castle walls
Whistling drafty and cold in the halls
Out on the grounds and just inside the moat
The cattle grow restless, a shadow does float
A whinny, a whine and a wind-hidden squeal
The Gryphon absconds once again with his meal
Wind calms the morning, bright sun warms the land
Revealing the remnants of half-eaten lamb
‘Zounds’ and, ‘gadzooks!’ shouts the king on a spree
‘Bring me the head!’ comes the royal decree
Out from the castle contingent doth ride
High atop stallions chain mail on their side
Into the hillside rode fifty good men
Ne’er a one to had been seen again
‘Zounds!’ said the king once again at the news
‘Saddle me horse and make good on his shoes!
I will not have such a beast as a Gryphon
Taking and eating what I have not given!’
Nothing the stable boy said could have stopped him
King would adhere to the code and so chop him
Shining resplendent a knight forged in fire
Only to wear a crown did he retire
Truth be known he had grown tired of tedium
Often consulting his personal medium
As was the council he took on this day
‘What, Madame Zarcon, what do the bones say?’
The woman’s eyes widened, she stood up to dance
Threw back her head and fell into a trance
‘King of the castle this be your last ride-
For surely that demon has eaten your pride’
Affairs set in order, the king took his mount
Left so much gold there was too much to count
Hugged all his daughters and hugged both his wives
Gave them the means to live comfortable lives
Off rode the king with his personal guard
Shining in armor chain mail leotard
One last adventure with honor to wield
The family crest embossed on his shield
epilogue
Tiger-hawk Gryphon made short work of men
Feeding survivors to young in her den
The king, he fought valiantly, died sword-in-hand
Buried with honor right here on his land
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/07/15/2020
Art: Guan Wei
Wraith of Faith
The lady rode a Unicorn through darkness on the moor
Her bright blue light illuminating Satan’s cellar door
Greeted by a dragon on the cobblestones of old
A fog spread like a blanket over lichens moss and mold
‘Halt,’ he said ‘who goes?’ he challenged, shrinking from the light
He heard a voice inside his head say, ‘Stand ye down this night’
The lady was a specter, a blue translucent wraith
Having ridden many miles to test a dragon’s faith
‘Tell me dragon, black as pitch, do you eat both poor and rich?’
Having thought what she had said, the dragon shook his massive head
She inside his brain, a cancer; he declined to give an answer
As per rules, he stepped aside; she continued on her ride
All along the path of darkness dragons hung like bats
By their talons upside down; they snacked on feral cats
They watched her blue light vanish as she disappeared in fog
Clopping on the cobblestones to a symphony of frogs
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/07/14/2020
The Dragon that Ate the Sun
Long ago it still is told
Before the Earth was very old
A Dragon climbed a temple of wisdom
Resulting in a cataclysm
None could know from whence he came
Any more than know his name
But once arrived at hallowed ground
This dragon slithered ‘round and ‘round
Many stories up on high
Dragon reached into the sky
He would not let the day be done
His open maw engulfed the sun
The wise around him sat cross legged
Lesser spirits cried and begged
Those nocturnal shared their plight
Owls hooted for the night
Mother Earth and ocean daughter
Missed the moonlight on the water
So together they conspired
Waited ‘till the dragon tired
When he woke the world had turned!
Sun escaped and dragon burned
When he cooled he turned to lime
Frozen now for all of time
Joseph John Racano
Another installment of the 'Poetry of Dragons' collection
https://www.facebook.com/reptilianscales/
©@JosephJohnRacano/06/05/2020
The Violin Portal
On seven year sabbatical
I chanced upon the radical
A monolith with stones like bones
And hint of mathematical
Nothing could’ve prepared my eyes
For such chiseled beauty against pastel skies
Arranged in its peculiar way
One rock atop another lay
It seemed a portal, that was sure
I stepped me through that ancient door
And felt my soul precede me through
I searched my mind for what to do
I looked back from whence I’d came
Not a thing I knew remained
Where I was I had no hunch
Decided I would sit for lunch
What’s a man supposed to do
A meal might help me think this through
I ate a peach and tossed the pit
A peach tree rose in place of it!
I choked at this unnatural sight
But then I saw that it was right
A tree had grown up from a seed
Why should I begrudge the speed?
I stood to leave and picked some fruit
Stuffed them in my jungle suit
This is where the fun begins
I heard the sound of violins
The music came from up ahead
And there she stood, a girl in red
Her bow on fire, eyes aflame
Violiness was her name
How she came to use that bow
With such finesse I’d never know
I only knew my ears gave thanks
Among the greats I’m sure she ranks
Her family danced and did it well
Around a horse drawn cart from Hell
Pulled by demons crows and bats
Guarded by large jungle cats
Now the sky was growing dark
Hell hounds in the distance barked
How I longed to find the portal
After all I’m only mortal
Then the girl in red gave chase
Held me close I saw her face
Lovely, lithe and body muscular
Chimera child of all crepuscular
Her family watched from horse-drawn carriage
Violiness was bound for marriage
And hand in hand our love was true
We found the portal and I carried her through
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/7/30/21
Art: Yiresukam at Deviant Art
Sprinklebug
‘Twas Winter ’99 and the first time I saw the Sprinklebug
I was in the forest feeding saplings with a water jug
I got a look at him before he got a look at me
I saw him pop his head out of a hollow in a tree
'Sprinklebug Sprinklebug
Half a beetle, half a slug
Something like a muppet
A friend of Dr Seuess
But not the sort of creature
One expects to see out loose'
I watched him catching snowflakes in his open hollow mouth
A Northern Sprinklebug, they just don’t do that in the South
Sharing an apartment in the forest with some others
I could hear the chipmunks inside fighting with their brothers
'His coat was soft and furry
The snow began to flurry
He shoveled off the driveway
Had it perfect in a hurry
The chipmunks didn’t drive
So to them it didn’t matter
They argued over peanuts
Making funny little chatter'
The Sprinklebug had had enough and showed them to the door
They went back outside and argued louder than before
Sprinkle called the yellowjacks who kicked them to the curb
Then he hung a sign to chipmunks, ‘please do not disturb’
Finished with my saplings I brushed them clear of snow
Now my job was finished here and it was time to go
As I left I turned to look through window did I see
A snug and happy Sprinklebug high up in the tree
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/15/2021
Artwork: Katarina Putilina
Blue Snake of Happiness
The day was warm and the lake was calm
A butterfly landed on the heel of my palm
I cast out a line and the bait was took
Lucky little Bluegill ‘cause I never use a hook
Big white clouds sprinkled fine cool mist
I remember thinking ‘I was born to live like this’
Barefoot in the water of an alpine lake
That's when I saw the big blue snake
Longer than a city bus and bluer than a dream
I was overcome with joy and felt I had to scream
With his three big eyes it’s impossible to miss, when you’re
In the presence of the Blue Snake of Happiness
He bubbled from the water and he slithered on the ground
He looked inside the bait bag and he curled himself around
His tongue flashed like fork lightning and he blinked in sets of threes
I stood completely still until he wrapped around my knees
I reached into my gunny sack and offered him a gummy snack
That was when he spoke to me very telepathically
Thought the Blue Snake of Happiness, ‘funny it should end like this’
Left me with a happy kiss and disappeared into the mist
And me, I just kept right on fishing nothing gained and nothing missing
Watching as the swallow tails flew circles over hollow snails
And evergreens across the pond sent breeze their fragrance rode upon
And I to catch it, never miss- thanks to you, Blue Snake of Happiness
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/3/7/2021
Art: Alexis Krauss
In Search of the Blue Chameleon
I entered the swamp no intention to drain it
My impulse to kill I fought hard to restrain it
Knee-deep in water in search of a reptile
Ultramarine blue Iguana in textile
Bathing in dripping wet leaves of the jungle
Nooks of my crannies all chaffing and fungal
Eyes on the lookout for long darting tongue
Eating the tropical flies while they’re young
Mindful of not getting stuck in the mud
Every plant touching me seemed to draw blood
Minutes to hours and hours to days
I longed for a clearing to feel the sun’s rays
Then I beheld what I traveled to find
Such vivid blue I went out of my mind
Snapped a few pictures up high in a tree
Captured his image and let him go free
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/08/2020
Dream of the Red Kit Fox
These are the dreams of a Red Kit Fox
Taken by a helicopter, lowered on a box
To be the keynote speaker for a party on the Ark
Promising the animals to build them a park
No sooner had he said it than it all came true
A green and grassy island slowly came in view
The creatures disembarked on many bales of hay
With brightly colored butterflies leading the way
Over all the beaches there were planes with signs
Enjoy-courtesy of Red Kit Fox Designs
And left to right the water skiers did cool tricks
On each other’s shoulders piled five or six
Out in deeper water Noah’s Ark looked dandy
Sending smoke signals made of cotton candy
Up from the horizon came a bunch of answers
Visible to all the bright fiesta dancers
Spinning and-a-twirling in their cotton skirts
Led by handsome crewmen in Hawaiian shirts
Overhead a flock of migratory geese
Started flying over dropping big black seeds
Where instantly the magic of the island sun
Grew them into watermelons filled with rum
And just as they were giving him the big first prize
Awakened by a butterfly, he opened his eyes
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/07/2020
Artwork (Sleeping fox) by: Melon Racoon
City at the Edge of Time
Welcome to the city at the edge of time
There is no gold and we don’t have crime
All the races intermingled
Ice Cream cone with colored sprinkles
There are no armies and there are no flags
Nobody’s in business making body bags
We don’t have riots we don’t have looting
No police and no police shootings
Our body cameras are our eyes
We focus on the clear blue skies
Seamless nations, no drawn borders
Mother Nature gives the orders
Soon enough our world will come
Invite your friends if you still have some
One big family, no more war
Check your dogma at the door
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/08/06/2020
The Late Hour
The Moon told the Lilies
The Lilies told the grass
If we’re going to do something
We’d better do it fast
The land is cloaked in darkness
We have to make them see
Perhaps a thousand fireflies
On each and every tree
Someone call the mermaids
Ask them for the presence
Of every creature deep below
With bioluminescence
Have their faerie cousins
Call in the elven choir
Awaken Krakatoa
To ignite his Vulcan fire
Make a wish that jellyfish
Employed their neon arms
A squid-pro-quo enlightenment
Of pyrotechnic charms
With all the world illuminated
Summit to abyss
Everyone will see we can’t
Continue on like this
Let the Earth erupt with
Bright volcano-hurled confetti
A gently falling snowstorm on
The Plain of Serengeti
But don’t delay a single day
The hour’s growing late
To keep the song of life from being
Locked behind hell’s gate
Joseph John Racano
Sleeping Dreamer
Floating on the shadow of a cosmic burst
Keeper of the dream we call the universe
Beguiler of the wanton who she renders meek
Enchantress of the heavens playing hide and seek
Falling into slumber opens her mind
Bringing close encounters of the wondrous kind
Talks in her sleep resulting in rainbows
No other goddess able to sustain those
When she has a nightmare it can be frightening
Lessers beware errant forks of lightning
When she dreams passion, smooth and creamy
Making even frozen crystals steamy
Those who seek audience, god or mortal
First must navigate the goddess portal
When you’ve arrived, you’ll know you’re there
Stardust and nebulae, long wavy hair
Tall, long-legged, statuesque, hot sauce-acle
Stop me if any of this seems implausible
Red head, vermilion, one kiss worth a million
Wait for her outside the Dragon’s Pavilion
This is the story as to me was told
She flung the stars into space made of gold
Goddess we know you and love you it’s true
Our Sleeping Dreamer, oh please say ‘I do’!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09011/2020
Artwork by: brietolga
Floating on the shadow of a cosmic burst
Keeper of the dream we call the universe
Beguiler of the wanton who she renders meek
Enchantress of the heavens playing hide and seek
Falling into slumber opens her mind
Bringing close encounters of the wondrous kind
Talks in her sleep resulting in rainbows
No other goddess able to sustain those
When she has a nightmare it can be frightening
Lessers beware errant forks of lightning
When she dreams passion, smooth and creamy
Making even frozen crystals steamy
Those who seek audience, god or mortal
First must navigate the goddess portal
When you’ve arrived, you’ll know you’re there
Stardust and nebulae, long wavy hair
Tall, long-legged, statuesque, hot sauce-acle
Stop me if any of this seems implausible
Red head, vermilion, one kiss worth a million
Wait for her outside the Dragon’s Pavilion
This is the story as to me was told
She flung the stars into space made of gold
Goddess we know you and love you it’s true
Our Sleeping Dreamer, oh please say ‘I do’!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09011/2020
Artwork by: brietolga
Wizard of the Cosmos
Pay no attention to the being behind the curtain
Her wild machinations artificial I am certain
The nebulous ball-lightning can be only a distraction
Allowing her to mesmerize while tractor beam gains traction
And please do not allow yourself a moments extra ponder
When every nano second counts deploying a transponder
One that will assure a timely life-saving recovery
This far out a rescue is dependent on discovery
Do return the ruby slippers place them by the portal
None may wear or operate them least of all a mortal
Silence! Don’t presume that I would entertain your questions
Your craft stuck in dark matter and yet still you make suggestions
Your first mate is a scarecrow, your helmsman made of tin
The master at arms a lion with no courage from within
You come before me prostrate in my very chamber room
Begone and don’t return without the wicked witches’ broom!
Joseph John Racano
Art: Robert Lorek
Pay no attention to the being behind the curtain
Her wild machinations artificial I am certain
The nebulous ball-lightning can be only a distraction
Allowing her to mesmerize while tractor beam gains traction
And please do not allow yourself a moments extra ponder
When every nano second counts deploying a transponder
One that will assure a timely life-saving recovery
This far out a rescue is dependent on discovery
Do return the ruby slippers place them by the portal
None may wear or operate them least of all a mortal
Silence! Don’t presume that I would entertain your questions
Your craft stuck in dark matter and yet still you make suggestions
Your first mate is a scarecrow, your helmsman made of tin
The master at arms a lion with no courage from within
You come before me prostrate in my very chamber room
Begone and don’t return without the wicked witches’ broom!
Joseph John Racano
Art: Robert Lorek
The Forest Where Time Began
First glowing light at the dawn of time
No sound of chainsaw or other pending crime
The crisp of the morning crunched leaves beneath my feet
The will o’ the wisp with red wings replete
Late in the morning streams gurgled in the dark
The canopy of forest may well have been a park
Verdant big bang but a millisecond old
The forest of Fangorn was never this cold
And when broke the Simeon free from the musk
He met with a sibling both long in the tusk
And long toward the eve were their pads on the trail
Pausing in wonder at new howling wail
These nano-seconds, first chronons, if you will
Inaugural slivers when the time began to spill
With hirsute cupped hands I do pass on to you
A forest too feral to live in a zoo
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/5/16/2022
artwork by: shahzebkr_den6mbt
First glowing light at the dawn of time
No sound of chainsaw or other pending crime
The crisp of the morning crunched leaves beneath my feet
The will o’ the wisp with red wings replete
Late in the morning streams gurgled in the dark
The canopy of forest may well have been a park
Verdant big bang but a millisecond old
The forest of Fangorn was never this cold
And when broke the Simeon free from the musk
He met with a sibling both long in the tusk
And long toward the eve were their pads on the trail
Pausing in wonder at new howling wail
These nano-seconds, first chronons, if you will
Inaugural slivers when the time began to spill
With hirsute cupped hands I do pass on to you
A forest too feral to live in a zoo
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/5/16/2022
artwork by: shahzebkr_den6mbt
Planet Eater
Far out in the cosmos atwixt the starry dust
Undreamed of Animaliens sniff out planetary crust
Of newly dying worlds forsaken by their parent hosts
Gaping maws devouring wars and megafauna ghosts
These are thieves as in the night upon us in an instant
Teeth like ivory pillars yellow eyes seen in the distance
They heed no plea for mercy as the time for such is past
If knowest thine creator I would call upon him fast
Out here are no directions all are one just as the other
Space offers no protection save one’s memory of mother
Where living hunting asteroids disguised as space-borne rocks
Come sneaking up behind a case of planetary pox
So next when you do find yourself up gazing at the stars
Trying to discern the one is Jupiter from Mars
Prepare to meet your destiny what fate you have created
The Earth is not the only world that needs to be abated
Joseph John Racano
Far out in the cosmos atwixt the starry dust
Undreamed of Animaliens sniff out planetary crust
Of newly dying worlds forsaken by their parent hosts
Gaping maws devouring wars and megafauna ghosts
These are thieves as in the night upon us in an instant
Teeth like ivory pillars yellow eyes seen in the distance
They heed no plea for mercy as the time for such is past
If knowest thine creator I would call upon him fast
Out here are no directions all are one just as the other
Space offers no protection save one’s memory of mother
Where living hunting asteroids disguised as space-borne rocks
Come sneaking up behind a case of planetary pox
So next when you do find yourself up gazing at the stars
Trying to discern the one is Jupiter from Mars
Prepare to meet your destiny what fate you have created
The Earth is not the only world that needs to be abated
Joseph John Racano
Rediscovery I
Backward they plunged tanks breaking the water
‘You’ll just have to see this,’ came the words from the daughter
A red and white flag left afloat at the surface
Would serve as a warning to those come in service
Six fathoms downward they broke through the haze
Revealing a seascape that went on for days
Upon reaching bottom the sea fans swayed violently
A hard swirling current there greeted them silently
She at the point and he watching for sharks
There on the rocks ahead- petroglyph marks!
Using her spear gun she traced out the ring
Father stood awestruck what was this strange thing?
The daughter went through the hoop dwarfed by its size
It swallowed her up before father’s wide eyes
His scream turned to bubbles but to no avail
He followed her through swallowed up by the veil
Rediscovery II
Up at the surface some forty years hence
A vessel found floating with old rusting dents
‘Come in Alameda, we’ve found her good lord!
We’ve found Rediscovery with no one aboard’
Perhaps the old tale the half-legend was true
And right at that moment the two swam back through
All seemed exactly as it was before
Until they broke surface as maritime lore
A searchlight shone brightly atop the dark water
The divers were father and curious daughter
‘Ahoy there!’ they called to half-ship at the hover
‘It’s floating on air- use the phone call your mother’
But only to find when they climbed to the deck
That mom was at home and a senile old wreck
They looked all around and the sky buzzed with life
Boats in the air dad too young for his wife
They looked at each other and said not a word
They fell back to sea before anyone heard
And swam for the bottom through fathoms and foam
Hoping the strange ring would take them back home
Rediscovery, epilogue
Ships in the night still report a rogue vessel
And two divers struggling appearing to wrestle
Unchaining the anchor to get underway
Perhaps to return forty years to the day
Joseph John Racano
Art: Riverfox1 at DeviantArt
Backward they plunged tanks breaking the water
‘You’ll just have to see this,’ came the words from the daughter
A red and white flag left afloat at the surface
Would serve as a warning to those come in service
Six fathoms downward they broke through the haze
Revealing a seascape that went on for days
Upon reaching bottom the sea fans swayed violently
A hard swirling current there greeted them silently
She at the point and he watching for sharks
There on the rocks ahead- petroglyph marks!
Using her spear gun she traced out the ring
Father stood awestruck what was this strange thing?
The daughter went through the hoop dwarfed by its size
It swallowed her up before father’s wide eyes
His scream turned to bubbles but to no avail
He followed her through swallowed up by the veil
Rediscovery II
Up at the surface some forty years hence
A vessel found floating with old rusting dents
‘Come in Alameda, we’ve found her good lord!
We’ve found Rediscovery with no one aboard’
Perhaps the old tale the half-legend was true
And right at that moment the two swam back through
All seemed exactly as it was before
Until they broke surface as maritime lore
A searchlight shone brightly atop the dark water
The divers were father and curious daughter
‘Ahoy there!’ they called to half-ship at the hover
‘It’s floating on air- use the phone call your mother’
But only to find when they climbed to the deck
That mom was at home and a senile old wreck
They looked all around and the sky buzzed with life
Boats in the air dad too young for his wife
They looked at each other and said not a word
They fell back to sea before anyone heard
And swam for the bottom through fathoms and foam
Hoping the strange ring would take them back home
Rediscovery, epilogue
Ships in the night still report a rogue vessel
And two divers struggling appearing to wrestle
Unchaining the anchor to get underway
Perhaps to return forty years to the day
Joseph John Racano
Art: Riverfox1 at DeviantArt