I am always overwhelmed by the thought of where we actually are. Smack dab in the backwaters of an unfathomable universe! I just know there's a message in it all. That message? 'Hey Mr. big stuff- you ain't so big'
Skrell
All aboard for Planet Skrell
Time restraints are broke and fell
None below are left to tell
Planet Earth is now called hell
Sixteen hours to separation
Leave behind all thought of nation
Statehood must be left behind
No more artificial lines
Now the neutron engines quicken
Pass the bags to those who sicken
Fifteen hours fifty-nine
Flash of light and neutron prime
Out the porthole- look at that!
See time bended at the back
Arching like an angry cat
Cross the cosmos out we spat
Long the way twixt hell and home
All report to central dome
Find your place and take a seat
Movie night on board the fleet
Focus on the underdome
Full retraction all gears chrome
See-through dome of mylar glass
Safest way to watch stars pass
Blue light signals trip halfway
Flight attendants have their say
Pointing out the blinking light
A star surrenders to the night
And we press on 'cross open space
Wagon train of a dying race
Left behind our man-made hell
Who knows what we’ll find on Skrell
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/8/6/21
Art: Spiraloso
Cosmos of my Mind
In the Cosmos of my mind, red Quasars burn brightly
My wispy spiral arms embracing them nightly
From here in my bedroom inside my head dreaming
I watch spiral galaxies pinwheel and streaming
I take leave of body no longer in hiding
My soul on a carpet out barefoot and riding
Close ring encounters of the carousel kind
Treasures abound in the cosmos of my mind
Icy rocks hurtling end over end
Heliopause causing light waves to bend
Jovian planets lined up in their place
Solving the puzzles of nature and space
Yellow sun rises, the birds start to sing
I’m back in my body, alarm clock gives ring
Walking in beauty where others are blind
Sweet berry sanctuary, in the Cosmos of my Mind
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/7/4/21
artwork by: Lillithraven28
The Crazy Straw
He drew it at school on a desk in Missouri
The science was based on what’s called a venturi
A straw that could get you to Alpha Centauri
That, or turned into tomato paste puree
A boy with his childhood out on the range
Grew up to purchase all Points of Lagrange
Using them for their provided stability
Building his Crazy Straw worm-hole utility
Pointing it at constellation Centaurus
They called him crazy, an unending chorus
Spent all his money to plan the logistics
Up every night breaking down the statistics
Finally the law came to put him away
Even his friends didn’t know what to say
But no one could find him, no cop judge or jury
He’s living the high-life on Alpha Centauri
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/24/2021
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*
*Reviewed by Hari Prasad S, creative writer @ Hubpages:
What an amazing poetry, on dreams. Like a lullaby it creates wonder and awe. An imagination powered by wonderful words it mesmerizes us with its imagery, just as a dream does.It seems to me that this poems is about a lovely girl sleeping and dreaming wonderful dreams and the lover is imagining what it could be.A dream feels a bit realistic, but, to put it into words is not an easy task at all. It seems quite strange, silly, wonderful and scary sometimes what we see, yet it feels so realistic that it can make our bodies respond to them through dialated pupils, shaking hands, screaming and sometimes walking too in sleep. Such is the power of a dream.The poet here has done an extraordinary job in framing a lullaby poetry with immense imagery from space, stars, to god. (Sleep goddess / Nidra devi*). I am awestuck by the imagery it has created in our minds. Space travel, stars, galaxies, the infinite cosmos has always been enchanting since childhood to this stage of adulthood.It is really amazing how science is helping us in finding what our imaginations had long back seen. Looks like when we imagine we can find it too.So all the extraordinary things we dream are infact real, which science will prove exists in few decades in the future.The poem makes us believe in the probable truth of a dream and coax us to dream fantastic dreams. (Though it's not in our control :-) )I congratulate the poet and wish him many more poetic dreams that we too can enjoy.
Reviewed by:- Hari Prasad S
Dated:- 12-Sep-2020
A Place in Space
Luminous nebulae twist in the sky
Like many before me, I stop and ask why
Oh, Father of time and Mother of pearl
Do galaxies choose which direction to twirl
Does jovian planet with icicle rings
Write the original song that it sings
Are each of the colorful rings that it carries
Given away to the one that it marries
Heavenly body too young for selection
Strawberry moon with a teenage complexion
Vacuum of space for maintaining your purity
How many eons until your maturity
How many Goddesses how Gods
Are we alone and how great are the odds
Are we just loose change in somebody’s purse
These are the questions I ask of the universe
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/02/05/2020
Talamar
At the edge of space there is a star
The aliens called it Talamar
In its’ orbit seven moons
Float in silence like balloons
Though each the seven do differ
On only one does life occur
A one that holds an atmosphere
Supporting trees and birds and deer
From far and wide the travelers come
To see this moon and alien sun
Snapping holographic rays
While locked in orbit several days
Some do after breaking free
Reverse their holographs to see
Continental interaction
The oceans are a big attraction
Traveling families shoot to space
Comes another to replace
Keeping equilibrium
Talamar continuum
Where the ancients once did dwell
Talamar became a hell
Not for evil but for heat
Stars were never meant for feet
Simple atoms were ignited
Got the solar ball excited
Talamar exported winds
Warmth provided, life begins
Do come see us by the by
Hubble quadrant, western sky
Quite a fascinating place
Talamar, on the edge of space
Joseph John Racano
Footprint of the Gods
Tell-tale sign of a visit from the gods
Somehow searching out our nest, defying all the odds
Remnant of a giant race, suggestion of an echo
Reverberating through the halls of time, some massive gecko
Found among a sea of stars the planet of our birth
Galaxies of suns much like the one that warms the Earth
And furthermore the question begs, what brought them here-to-fore
They surely had much else to do on some galactic shore
Our scientists with thirsty minds took swabs of DNA
And found genetic manuscript that had a lot to say
Apparently these giant beings related to our reptiles
Came to Earth expecting to find relatives in textiles
Had they read the book of our geology instead
Maybe they’d have known that all the dinosaurs were dead
Their kind wiped clean by some cosmic passerine
Allowing shrew like mammals to discover gasoline
Judging by their feet these lizard gods were very large
How did they react to find small hairy ones in charge
Clear across the Universe was quite some distance to traverse
But -finding on arrival no reptilian survival- made the fruitless journey so much worse
And so the perching giant stepped but once upon the planet
Sank a claw-like lizard-bird foot deep into the granite
With solar powered photon drive it spread its mighty wings
Twisted ‘round and sprang away, the place not fit for kings
Joseph John Racano
The Orb
The Aliens arrived in their weird little orb
The Earth was a planet deemed safe to absorb
Council of Galaxies gave their approval
Soon would begin wholesale oceans removal
Went down the checklist to make doubly sure
The forests were burning the air was impure
What once was a fabulous lotto of luck
Now plundered by people who don’t give a fuck
Cheering began back on planet Gleise-Five
Resources coming to keep them alive
None of the people on this planet care
Gleise-Five would finally teach them to share
‘Check’ said the overlord, ‘tractor beam ready!’
Then came loud humming ‘Engage and hold steady’
Ten cubic miles sucked airborne each minute
Blue whales and marlin still visible in it
Richochet gunshots twanged off of the orb’s metal
Snipers were dispatched by step on a pedal
Loudspeakers blaring out pleas far below
“Please reconsider, we’ll change if you go!”
But nothing the orb-lord could see looked convincing
Nowhere on Earth could he gaze without wincing
What obviously once was a beautiful place
Had thus been afflicted by some vile race
Mountaintops chopped off to strip mine for coal
How to accumulate wealth was the goal
Bathing in dollars the rich would exult
Troposphere clouded with smoke the result
Last of the lakes were now siphoned on high
Up to the extraterrestrial sky
Lord of the Orbs gave the signal for speed
Leaving these men to their doom and their greed
Joseph John Racano
photo by: Lori Newland
The Aliens arrived in their weird little orb
The Earth was a planet deemed safe to absorb
Council of Galaxies gave their approval
Soon would begin wholesale oceans removal
Went down the checklist to make doubly sure
The forests were burning the air was impure
What once was a fabulous lotto of luck
Now plundered by people who don’t give a fuck
Cheering began back on planet Gleise-Five
Resources coming to keep them alive
None of the people on this planet care
Gleise-Five would finally teach them to share
‘Check’ said the overlord, ‘tractor beam ready!’
Then came loud humming ‘Engage and hold steady’
Ten cubic miles sucked airborne each minute
Blue whales and marlin still visible in it
Richochet gunshots twanged off of the orb’s metal
Snipers were dispatched by step on a pedal
Loudspeakers blaring out pleas far below
“Please reconsider, we’ll change if you go!”
But nothing the orb-lord could see looked convincing
Nowhere on Earth could he gaze without wincing
What obviously once was a beautiful place
Had thus been afflicted by some vile race
Mountaintops chopped off to strip mine for coal
How to accumulate wealth was the goal
Bathing in dollars the rich would exult
Troposphere clouded with smoke the result
Last of the lakes were now siphoned on high
Up to the extraterrestrial sky
Lord of the Orbs gave the signal for speed
Leaving these men to their doom and their greed
Joseph John Racano
photo by: Lori Newland
Space Traveler 7
Space Traveler 7 arrived at the portal
Many equations from home
What took him a second to Earth was immortal
He would on return be alone
Such is the sacrifice made for pure science
To see what before none had seen
His life support suit held complete self-reliance
He wouldn’t depend on a screen
Below on the right was a quasar
Above was a nebulae cloud
Alerts told how dangerous rays are
He turned on the gamma ray shroud
Hanging with both legs akimbo
Arms taking readings and such
Past present future in limbo
He wouldn’t dwell on it too much
Pellets of ice bouncing off him
Like some form of space-driven rain
Spun him ‘round early and often
Then near-miss by a meteor train
He found himself sucked in a vortex
Created from binary stars
One of which spun like a timex
The other looked something like Mars
He loaded the new information
To a shiny device on his wrist
Stepped back for a portal vacation
Then checked for what might have been missed
He watched on his visor as pictures
Of his family flashed past his eyes
Then he sent back the science as scriptures
Addended with final goodbyes
Joseph John Racano
Rescue Mission from Techton-two
On vacationary pleasure pause on Tecton-two
The intercell went off, a voice said “How are you-
I know you’re on vacationary one more day
But a mission is available, what do you say?”
I poured a cup of java stumbling out of bed
Barely heard a word of what the star-base said
But money was tight and the payment was right
I said “Let me pack my things and I’ll be there tonight.”
Turned out that a princess went to Garlon five
To lend a hand at trying to keep a species alive
But thirty months later there had been no words
It shouldn’t take so long to save endangered birds
I fired up the nuke-a-tron and lifted off
Levelled out the saucerpod and heard it cough
Several seconds later I was deep in space
Scrutinizing readouts while I shaved my face
‘Saucerpod Seven, Captain, do you read?”
I nicked myself shaving and I started to bleed
“Read you loud and clear, star-base, yes, I copy;
Your red-shifted transmission sounds a little sloppy”
“No one knows you’re coming and you’re off the grid
Gentle with the princess ‘cause she’s just a kid”
“Roger that” I answered as I worm holed out
“I’ll add to the intrigue and take the back-stars route”
Then there came the wake up call, the interstellar beeping
Looked up at the gauge to see how long I’d been sleeping
Stars flew by as I crossed a billion parsecs
Passing by more planets than a season full of star treks
That’s when someone’s tractor beam commanded my attention
Giving me a chance to use a very new invention
I flipped a glowing toggle switch that shifted the polarity
The Garlon Five insurgents felt my tech-advance disparity
I waved a hand across the scanner and focused on a blip
The princess soon would be in line to beam aboard the ship
I hit the toggle switch once more, the G force pinned me to the floor
The blip showed where, I pressed a square and she arrived a mess of tangled hair
As saucerpod used brand new tech, she threw her arms around my neck
I sat her down and strapped her in, the saucerpod began to spin
I altered the stream of the tractor beam just as she began to scream
I updated the intercell phone, “Slingshot done, she’s coming home!”
The princess and the birds were saved, though Garlon Five remained enslaved
I marveled at this pretty girl, a princess out to save the world
The party started just passed Pluto, I flipped the ship as though by judo
And now I take my leave of you, as I deliver the princess to Techton-two
Joseph John Racano
Far Side of the Moon
What are they gonna find
On the far side of the moon?
No one's ever seen it
but we're gonna see it soon
Maybe there's a different cheese
Amelia Earhart's long-lost keys
A green ensemble ragtime band
Voyager seven's lost kickstand
Who are the people, who's in charge?
Are they little green men or do they grow quite large?
Do they sleep on beds or do they sleep on rocks?
Do they store bottled water in a little locked box?
Why do the beings there stay in the dark?
Do moon dogs bite or do they just bark?
Don't change the channel 'cause we'll find out soon
This is me, your lunar host from the far side of the Moon
Joseph John Racano
Elysian Fields
Welcome to Elysian Fields
No more struggling with your meals
What you need will be provided
All are friends with none divided
Step inside the transport chamber
Rest assured there is no danger
Leave behind what doesn’t matter
Clothing, fear, a world in tatter
Watch the alien up in front
Show you how to stow your trunk
Fear thee not the space machine
Wipe all feet, we like it clean
By the window take your seat
Be prepared for cosmic treat
Fasten seat-belt, tables up
Ask for mead we’ll fill your cup
Soon will come our swift departure
Faster than a Roman archer
Ears will pop so please chew gum
It’s a long way to Elysium
‘How, why me’- you may to ask
‘Need I complete some fearsome task?’
But all your good work’s long been done
Your passport to Elysium
Please lay back and clear your mind
Let go those you’ve left behind
Family, friends and favorite girl
You’re off now to a brave new world
Out the window see the sparks
Children play on Asteroid parks
Peek in close, you’ll see their wings
Elysium will provide such things!
One last roll, now pitch and yaw
Forth and yon like a cosmic saw
We go now where none bleeds or heals
Bound for golden Elysian Fields
Now awake to the captains bell
‘We’re closer to heaven than we are from hell’
Where nothing can be bought or sold
Just endless streaming fields of gold
Milky Way shrinks in the distance
Press red button for assistance
Watch the galaxy recede
Robot woman brings more mead
‘Now hear this’ the captain says
‘Watch the screen to see high res’
our Andromeda neighbor to the south
chuckling as it left his mouth
Everything was different now
Hypodermic needle chow
Spacesuits made of shiny cloth
Drinks of gusto, like Ent broth
Passed the time from dream to dream
Woke to cookies served with cream
Looked outside and heard a scream
Elysian Fields came on the screen!
‘Now hear this’ the captain concluded
‘No more Earth with land denuded’
Never felt so much at home
Our spacecraft landed on a dome
Outside stood the cheering throngs
Englishmen, rednecks and Hmongs
The Universe, after all, was fair
I stepped outside into clean fresh air
I spread my arms and to my surprise
Two wings unfurled that were twice my size
And there was Dorothy and she clicked her heels
In the sunshine over Elysian Fields
Joseph John Racano
9/24/18
Jupiter One
Jupiter One
You are cleared for your run
Fill your tanks with plasma
When you slingshot past the sun
Hold the line a minute
Your family just arrived
Your wife and kids will meet you
If you stop at Argon Five
'Hello daddy!' said three kids
In unison and glee
'I love you baby' said his wife,
'Don't forget about me!'
The rocket engines roared to life
The plasma drive kicked in
The power shook the stars themselves
It caused a mighty din
With a giant 'whoosh!' a bright red trail
Arced into the sky
A quest for knowledge drove it all
(or was that just a lie?)
Perhaps a thirst for resources
Agreed we owed to Satan
Or death by three celestial horses
Like those who killed poor Phaeton
In any case
We jumped for space
Hatchling turtles seeking water
At a break-neck pace
Far behind us, all that binds us
Extra-terrestrial biological entities
We're planet killers, please don't mind us
Jupiter One, phase one is done
Prepare for a test of the new Rail Gun
Come about hard with your light-speed laser
Cut from the beam with the starboard phaser
'Roger that' came the distant reply
'We're a big bad ship and we won't be shy'
Star Base answered, 'Very well-
-looks like baby turtle's coming out of the shell!'
'Sir!, said the captain, 'a new report-
Asteroid Ganz is out the window to port!'
'Then Prepare for a landing on the Asteroid Ganz
A trillion tons of platinum ore in reach of your hands!
Sound General Quarters and alert the crew
Have them all hold hands and sing a hymnal or two'
They turned down the lights and got a big surprise:
Asteroid Ganz abruptly opened up its eyes!
No one heard a sound
But they could hear it in their heads
'We deem you as a threat and now
Will pump your ship with meds'
Twenty-four years later
The ship returned to base
The memories were wiped
And blank expressions on their face
On their rocket windshield was
A yellow post-it note, that said:
'Next time you'll get back your ship
With everybody dead'
Joseph John Racano
7/7/18
Deep Space One
Deep Space One, neutron star
Wrong left turn at Ye' Old Inne bar
Nine years of college, then post grad
Less navigation skills than dear old dad
Woke at reveille, turned up the gravity
Didn't use starquest and everybody's mad at me
Can't turn around 'cause we've gone too far
Should've made a right at Ye' old inne bar
Deep star tenderfoot, send me up a cup
It's gonna be a long one and I've got to stay up
Navigator set a course between these lines
I'm pretty sure that this is where they set those mines
Someone do a Yucca search, type in 'burger'
We've gone a billion parsecs and the rest is murder
We're crawling with Kasteroids in very dense space
Keep all lights blue and wear a night-sight face
Deep Space One, this is Neutron Star,
Try to get a pointal fix on where we are
Started off in hyper flow, went a bit too fast y'know
Couldn't make the left around Ye' old inne bar
'Neutron Star, you're like a neutron bomb
If you go a little faster we'll alert your mom
Computer printing ways to keep your ship from harm
See what you can do to keep the crew all calm
One, please hold a moment please stand by
Auto pilot frightened and begun to cry
Quartermaster culture-grown from new A.I.
Reading off scenarios of how we die
Star this is One, it doesn't sound like fun
Look off to your right and you should see a sun
Larger than the rest with a ring of maroon
Slingshot off of that and you will see a moon
Tell the crew the AI's only kidding 'em
Swoop down low and scoop some irridium
Fill in the cavity, break from moon gravity
Get your people out before the rays start killing 'em
Deep Space One this is Neutron Star
You're never gonna believe it when I tell you where we are
We were end over end when we came around a bend
And landed on our belly at Ye' Old Inne Bar!
Neutron Star this is Deep Space One
You saved the crew from danger and your mission is done
Please delete all data and hand in your gun
The ship is decommissioned, set a course for the sun
Joseph John Racano
Deep Space One, neutron star
Wrong left turn at Ye' Old Inne bar
Nine years of college, then post grad
Less navigation skills than dear old dad
Woke at reveille, turned up the gravity
Didn't use starquest and everybody's mad at me
Can't turn around 'cause we've gone too far
Should've made a right at Ye' old inne bar
Deep star tenderfoot, send me up a cup
It's gonna be a long one and I've got to stay up
Navigator set a course between these lines
I'm pretty sure that this is where they set those mines
Someone do a Yucca search, type in 'burger'
We've gone a billion parsecs and the rest is murder
We're crawling with Kasteroids in very dense space
Keep all lights blue and wear a night-sight face
Deep Space One, this is Neutron Star,
Try to get a pointal fix on where we are
Started off in hyper flow, went a bit too fast y'know
Couldn't make the left around Ye' old inne bar
'Neutron Star, you're like a neutron bomb
If you go a little faster we'll alert your mom
Computer printing ways to keep your ship from harm
See what you can do to keep the crew all calm
One, please hold a moment please stand by
Auto pilot frightened and begun to cry
Quartermaster culture-grown from new A.I.
Reading off scenarios of how we die
Star this is One, it doesn't sound like fun
Look off to your right and you should see a sun
Larger than the rest with a ring of maroon
Slingshot off of that and you will see a moon
Tell the crew the AI's only kidding 'em
Swoop down low and scoop some irridium
Fill in the cavity, break from moon gravity
Get your people out before the rays start killing 'em
Deep Space One this is Neutron Star
You're never gonna believe it when I tell you where we are
We were end over end when we came around a bend
And landed on our belly at Ye' Old Inne Bar!
Neutron Star this is Deep Space One
You saved the crew from danger and your mission is done
Please delete all data and hand in your gun
The ship is decommissioned, set a course for the sun
Joseph John Racano
Force 5 Galaxy
It was early onset in September
Every year we still remember
Our lives were mostly caught up in fallacy
Until we got hit with a Force 5 Galaxy
And what can a Force 5 Galaxy harm?
Try getting hit with a spiral arm
100,000 light-years across
A billion suns playing planetary toss
The call to evacuate came at 7:15
First women and children- men watched on a screen
Meteor maids stayed keeping the order
Our heliopause the defining border
None could stay, all had to go
No exceptions for even a UFO
Category 5 became a rallying cry
Embassies closed, we recalled every spy
The galaxy spun on its axis wheel
It happened so fast there was no time to feel
It rotated freely through parsec and sky
A lot like a pinwheel on the Fourth of July
'Deep space probes shorted
Their missions aborted
We ran out of water so
More was imported'
Watching the action by the light of our star
The news channel broadcast from my local bar
The last seven life jets about to depart
I caught the last one but I left Earth my heart
Oh how I'd miss the green frog in his billabong
Bamboo pole fishing and meadow-side fill-a-bong
Song of the whipperwill, smell of the sawdust mill
Though I travel forever none other could ever fill
Finally the Galaxy bent to force four
Skipped over Florida, broke down my door
And then it was past, the danger behind us
But early September will always remind us
Now when children sit in the holiday quiet
No toys left ashelf and no shopper to buy it
They ask us the questions that we still can't answer
What caused the warming and storming and cancer?
Joseph John Racano
Cosmic Invitation
Outside my house at a quarter to three
A riot of stars were waiting for me
Each in its place far out in deep space
I stood and imagined their warmth on my face
I felt like a child on the first day of school
The smartest of us to a star is a fool
They stamp on the cosmos their own private brand
Fashion it all with the wave of a hand
We watch all our lives as they backdrop the night
Forever unchanging and steady of light
We of great smallness with lives of such brevity
Sensing an ironic aura of levity
Pin-wheeling galaxies spinning around
Gears of the universe making no sound
Here for the wonder, here to entrance
Inviting us in to partake in the dance
Joseph John Racano
*The stars are a ransom note written in pearls
Stand on your toes and the galaxy twirls!
Nightship
From Earth it seemed a distant fire
streaking through the void
Elevation nine or higher
Perhaps an asteroid
Heads of state had stayed out late
A politicians dance
It probably was nothing but
They couldn’t take a chance
They pressed the amber button
and sounded the alarm
Out in space the human race
might soon be facing harm
Back in orbit Captain Corbett
saw it on the screen
Longer than a comets tail
with lights of emerald green
He had no way of knowing
‘twas the Nightship drawing near
and rather than a threat to them
That ship had need to fear
A hundred thousand parsecs
did separate the two
Closing fast through stellar gas
that ship came into view
The Nightship was a vessel
from the other side of time
A long range exploration ship
investigating crime
Her skipper saw the planet Earth
from two dimensions hence
Considering her atmosphere
A criminal offense
‘Helmsman, come about’, he said
‘That planet’s got the scurve!’
On Earth came shouts of mirth to see
the streaking fire curve
The heads of state called up to space
and asked what had been seen
Captain Corbett just reported,
‘Massive ship in green’
Far away, the ship receded
Off to where it might be needed
Other times and other worlds
and that’s our story, boys and girls!
Joseph John Racano
*above image: 'Nightship' by the author
From Earth it seemed a distant fire
streaking through the void
Elevation nine or higher
Perhaps an asteroid
Heads of state had stayed out late
A politicians dance
It probably was nothing but
They couldn’t take a chance
They pressed the amber button
and sounded the alarm
Out in space the human race
might soon be facing harm
Back in orbit Captain Corbett
saw it on the screen
Longer than a comets tail
with lights of emerald green
He had no way of knowing
‘twas the Nightship drawing near
and rather than a threat to them
That ship had need to fear
A hundred thousand parsecs
did separate the two
Closing fast through stellar gas
that ship came into view
The Nightship was a vessel
from the other side of time
A long range exploration ship
investigating crime
Her skipper saw the planet Earth
from two dimensions hence
Considering her atmosphere
A criminal offense
‘Helmsman, come about’, he said
‘That planet’s got the scurve!’
On Earth came shouts of mirth to see
the streaking fire curve
The heads of state called up to space
and asked what had been seen
Captain Corbett just reported,
‘Massive ship in green’
Far away, the ship receded
Off to where it might be needed
Other times and other worlds
and that’s our story, boys and girls!
Joseph John Racano
*above image: 'Nightship' by the author
Meet us at World’s End
Beg your pardon, human being
We’re alarmed at what we’re seeing
Indulge us our mundane concerns
It’s troubling how your planet burns
The brightest lights we see from space
are jungle fires all over the place
Many stacks exhaling smoke
Let us in on your private joke
Your troposphere is six miles high
That’s the thing you call the sky
You can’t just fill it up with fuel
Time to take you back to school
Kids who’ve been left home alone
You’ve trashed the planet to the bone
Well we’ve got a surprise for you
Your world belongs to others, too
And we won’t take it lying down
The way you throw your trash around
Your smoke, your soot, your radiation
Planetary conflagration
Your leaders say we don’t exist
But let them try explaining this
We’ve bored a hole through miles of rock
To give you pause and cause you shock
Consider us to be your neighbors
But we’re not here to ask you favors
You are hereby summoned to ‘World’s End’
To be determined foe or friend
Joseph John Racano
Asylum Earth
An entire race of people were out looking for asylum
Representing everywhere, each kingdom, order, phylum
And so it was they sent them here to Earth, and did they pile ‘em
Not a one suspecting that the Earth was an asylum
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
They landed ‘mongst the wild maise and modified genetically
They spent their first few days like this, and acted so frenetically
The streams around us all ran dry and so we regulated
spreading water on the dust clear cuts exacerbated
Keep that dust down, save the stream
The loggers were elated
But what about the forest
-turned-to-moonscape we created?
http://www.sacbee.com/.../logging-companies-ordered-to...
Soon they spread across the land, and everywhere the scars of man
No one had a long term plan, and yet they built Glenn Canyon Dam
Into subways people cram, sardines in an oblong can
Out of water, out of land, soon the shit would hit the fan
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Out in California, straight jackets were the norm
No place left for tantric sex, it’s been replaced by porn
Fruits and nuts and cigarette butts and GMO for corn
A virtual setting, a great forgetting of the world where you were born
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
The sun went ‘round a hundred times, the stragglers sought out cooler climes
Returning birds sang Earths first words since oil cut the sea in thirds
Survivors camped atop a summit, vista of man’s global plummet
High above a craft arrived taking notes on who survived
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Ship was here and now is gone, the lands are dark, no lights are on
We made it to the bottleneck, and very few, but what the heck
Our stored up grain has now run out, we must depart and move about
Looks like we will be the first- the first to leave Asylum Earth
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Joseph John Racano
7/5/14
An entire race of people were out looking for asylum
Representing everywhere, each kingdom, order, phylum
And so it was they sent them here to Earth, and did they pile ‘em
Not a one suspecting that the Earth was an asylum
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
They landed ‘mongst the wild maise and modified genetically
They spent their first few days like this, and acted so frenetically
The streams around us all ran dry and so we regulated
spreading water on the dust clear cuts exacerbated
Keep that dust down, save the stream
The loggers were elated
But what about the forest
-turned-to-moonscape we created?
http://www.sacbee.com/.../logging-companies-ordered-to...
Soon they spread across the land, and everywhere the scars of man
No one had a long term plan, and yet they built Glenn Canyon Dam
Into subways people cram, sardines in an oblong can
Out of water, out of land, soon the shit would hit the fan
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Out in California, straight jackets were the norm
No place left for tantric sex, it’s been replaced by porn
Fruits and nuts and cigarette butts and GMO for corn
A virtual setting, a great forgetting of the world where you were born
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
The sun went ‘round a hundred times, the stragglers sought out cooler climes
Returning birds sang Earths first words since oil cut the sea in thirds
Survivors camped atop a summit, vista of man’s global plummet
High above a craft arrived taking notes on who survived
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Ship was here and now is gone, the lands are dark, no lights are on
We made it to the bottleneck, and very few, but what the heck
Our stored up grain has now run out, we must depart and move about
Looks like we will be the first- the first to leave Asylum Earth
Asylum Earth, Asylum Earth
Are we insane, or is that mirth?
Asylum Earth, a planet’s girth
My place of birth, Asylum Earth
Joseph John Racano
7/5/14
Attention Attention
Your attention please, note the clear tube above your seat
kindly draw it down to the transparent tray on your lap
now spin it clockwise toward the galaxy shining outside
if you have a window seat, sit back and have a nice ride-
our captain says we should be arriving on Planet X-ello shortly
in about thirty thousand years
Attention, attention, good people of Earth
Your leaders are killing your planet of birth
They're calling it progress, increasing your girth
And we'd like to help you, for what it is worth
Please cast your focus up out past the skies
There's nobody out there named jesus who dies
You're nothing but cattle, your lives a disguise
Your space exploration, a threat in our eyes
People of Earth, we don't care if you're yellow
Black, brown or white, you are all the same fellow
And this time we haven't just come to say 'hello'
We're taking a jetliner back to X-nello
Leaders of Earth, please stop stealing the money
People are starving and you think it's funny
You burn fossil fuel where it's totally sunny
Reproduce more than an oversexed bunny
We're taking these people from all walks of life
Studying them, child, husband or wife
Perhaps there's an answer to your kind of strife
But we'll never know 'till their under the knife
Please don't you bother to track down your plane
It's light years away, you won't find it again
Pay some attention to your acid rain
The people of Milky Way think you're insane
Just go on cutting your forests to sell
Listening to those who say 'everything's swell'
It's unlikely you will be saved by the bell
Unless you stop turning your heaven to hell
Joseph John Racano
Your attention please, note the clear tube above your seat
kindly draw it down to the transparent tray on your lap
now spin it clockwise toward the galaxy shining outside
if you have a window seat, sit back and have a nice ride-
our captain says we should be arriving on Planet X-ello shortly
in about thirty thousand years
Attention, attention, good people of Earth
Your leaders are killing your planet of birth
They're calling it progress, increasing your girth
And we'd like to help you, for what it is worth
Please cast your focus up out past the skies
There's nobody out there named jesus who dies
You're nothing but cattle, your lives a disguise
Your space exploration, a threat in our eyes
People of Earth, we don't care if you're yellow
Black, brown or white, you are all the same fellow
And this time we haven't just come to say 'hello'
We're taking a jetliner back to X-nello
Leaders of Earth, please stop stealing the money
People are starving and you think it's funny
You burn fossil fuel where it's totally sunny
Reproduce more than an oversexed bunny
We're taking these people from all walks of life
Studying them, child, husband or wife
Perhaps there's an answer to your kind of strife
But we'll never know 'till their under the knife
Please don't you bother to track down your plane
It's light years away, you won't find it again
Pay some attention to your acid rain
The people of Milky Way think you're insane
Just go on cutting your forests to sell
Listening to those who say 'everything's swell'
It's unlikely you will be saved by the bell
Unless you stop turning your heaven to hell
Joseph John Racano
Written in the Wheatfields
Is anybody home or have we come too late
From the Heliopause your planet still looks great
We were passing through Andromeda and stopped on in
It was just another parsec and a month of zen
An arm on the tiller and an arm on the helm
I was free to rest the third, not be overwhelmed
We were getting kinda worried when your radio waves
Started shifting up the spectrum, situation: grave
Your atmosphere was pegging out on Co2
So we gravitated in to see what we could do
Is anybody home or have we come too late
From the Heliopause your planet still looks great
We passed the outer planets- and would be there soon
Close enough to see the rubbish that you left on the moon
It was almost like the Earth was running out of room
We wondered if the oceans were as garbage strewn
It doubled our concern to watch the jungles burn
Do you store them on the Ark once they fit in an urn
We came a lot of light years on a quest to learn
But the way your planet looks, we made a real wrong turn
Is anybody home or have I come too late
From the Heliopause your planet still looks great
We got below the clouds and it was crystal clear
Not the air, but what your race allowed to happen here
To subdivide a planet like a slice of steer
You never made the peace but you made real good beer
Dresden, Nagasaki, New York City, Hiroshima
Chernobyl, Valdez, then the Gulf, and Fukushima
We left you with the knowledge of the ruts we dug at Lima
But you decided nuclear and passed it off as cleaner
Is anybody home or have we come too late
From the Heliopause your planet still looks great
We warned you not to bring your weapons into space
But every 60 years there comes a 'master race'
You push the native tribes out of their rightful place
But out here you're a flea and now you're in my face
You sent a Titan III in 1985
We detected weapons and we cut that jive
In 1986 the same thing happened again
Then you sent one with a teacher, and we said 'No' my friend
Is anybody home or have we come too late
From the Heliopause your planet still looks great
We aren't gonna let you into outer space
'till you finally solve the problems of the human race
We want to send a message to your average peeps
But your leaders won't allow it 'cause their goddam creeps
They tell you that your crazy and we don't exist
But it's written in the wheatfields and it looks like this...
Joseph John Racano
The Porpoise Galaxy
Prologue, NGC 2936…
Mere moments ago she was set on a course
and suddenly thrown from her nebulae horse
From somewhere below came a cosmic upwelling
Space, time and gravity, bending and swelling
Galaxy Porpoise
In a far away darkness, too faint to see
the Galaxy Porpoise swims wild and free
Spreading her flukes made of cosmic debris
On a quest to traverse all that ever will be
With fiery fins and kaleidoscope eyes
Trailing behind her a cosmos of cries
the most dazzling of spectacles ever to rise
Provoking her would be extremely unwise
Hair like the stars of a mythical rain
Falls upon shoulders of heavenly flame
Cascading down from her gamma ray mane
The Galaxy Porpoise can never be tame
As pulsar and quasar lead her out of sight
She twists on a journey through violet light
Deeper and deeper out into the night
Remember the Galaxy Porpoises might
Galaxy Porpoise, epilogue…
Pity poor Ahab who found out too late
Mankind is weak and Leviathan great
The Universe flows and simply won’t wait
Resistance can only lead one to Hell's gate
Joseph John Racano
The Classroom
The sky clouds parted with moist refrain
Lightning crackled through torrential rain
A caravan arrived in long procession
Space-borne classroom was now in session
‘Welcome to pre-history, a retrospective look
A planet ruined by industry, you won’t find in a book
Long before their ancestors had climbed down from the trees
We faced circumstances that were similar to these’
Down below the hover-cade an ocean churned with foam
Smothering the monuments of what this race called home
An ocean filled with gas and oil, so chemically polluted
That even in its vastness it just could not be diluted
Back on our own system just before the ocean surged
Scientific wisdom was embraced and we diverged
Just in time we saw the signs, of nature and its’ worth
Not so on this planet, I believe they called it Earth
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/8/21/20
Artwork by: Dye_Evolve
Space Encounter
It was late at night in the mess cafeteria
I was staring out the portals at the big mysteria
Eating freeze-dried turkey on day-old bread
Visions of a camping trip danced in my head
A voice blared out in cold, robotic monotone
The naming of a movie they’d be showing on the robaphone
Star-crossed lovers, a comedy and more
I hardly paid attention having seen it all before
I took a navy shower and I shaved a little fuzz
Shook out my old towel and my ear began to buzz
‘This is not a drill’ a voice was leaking from my droid
‘Visitors from space arriving from across the void’
It took about a minute ‘till I dried and suited up
Couldn’t waste the coffee so I guzzled down a cup
Back out on the mess-caf I could see them clear as day
Unfamiliar cruiser ships with lots more on the way
Far below the planet brightly lit but none the wiser
All electric current for a single advertiser
Here was an invasion or facsimile thereof
And not a single nation was aware of up above
Engineering cut the power, all the lights were dimmed
Sensors were recording spikes as radiation brimmed
As of yet there were no orders, all our shields were down
Then the largest craft of all began to spin around
Down at mess-caf we could hear conversing on the bridge
I stocked up with food and kept on searching through the fridge
Then the spinning mother craft emitted violet light
Signaling the rest of their huge fleet, perhaps to fight
Our commander gave the order, ‘activate the shields!’
Switching all our lights to red increasing power yields
Then they all just disappeared as fast as they had come
Leaving in our ethernet a low magnetic hum
epilogue
Our scientists spent twenty years on researching that hum
The code was finally broken by a worker chewing gum
*We had come in peace to share technology with you-
You activated shields. You have more growing up to do*
Perhaps someday they will return
Across the void with less concern
The galaxies and red suns burn
And mankind has so much to learn
Joseph John Racano
Rendezvous with the Dragon
If only one survives, it means there still be dragons
Said the elven creature to a nervous Bilbo Baggins
Rumor has it one last dragon may be passing soon
I intend to prove it with a camera on the moon
If nothing’s on the screen, well then you’ll know that I have failed
A waste of seven worm holes and the space trip it entailed
But then again with proper zen we just may yet get lucky
I also set a parallax in Lexington, Kentucky
Quiet on the set I heard a rumble in the atmosphere
No time for regret, this poem is tumbling through the blog-o-sphere
Tell me that’s no asteroid I know it’s not a comet
Not a single rock in space has Dragon decals on it
It’s official- Falcon -9 has hit escape velocity
Now will Elon go to Mars and rescue Curiosity
Or will the Space X Dragon simply find another cause
Rendezvous with Voyager beyond the heliopause
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/05/31/2020
*Congratulations to Earthlings!
Dragon Blue
Pardon me a moment and allow me to explain
In case you've never ridden on the Nudibranch Train
Our Universe of wonders runs the gamut Earth to Mars
But even ‘mongst the beautiful the Nudibranchs are stars
An unassuming creature, assuming you are blind
Easy on the softest eyes, the colors blow your mind
Nudibranch oh Nudibranch, call Creator let me thank
Purple violet indigo with blue upon your flank
Sea Cucumber cousin, Michelangelo tattoo
Rainbow times a dozen, there are none so bold as you
Like the Blue ringed Octopus and Coral Snake give warning
Those who pick you up get stung and could be gone by morning
Floating at the surface with your belly to the sky
Eating poison jelly fish so toxic I could cry
Why are those most beautiful so often deadly too
Lovely deadly Nudibranch the one called dragon blue
Joseph John Racano
Welcome to Mars
Thank you for the terraforming job you did on Mars
The workers all went back to Earth and bought humungous cars
We like to think of Mars as our new home and new frontier
Please stay with the group and just ignore the smell of beer
On the left you’ll notice a canal once held a stream
We spilled it full of oil now we’re cleaning it with steam
On the right you’ll see we’ve built a brand new line of domes
The homeless back on Earth were brought to Mars and given homes
Once a week we make sure all their oxygen is filled
If they venture out the atmosphere will get them killed
Here on Mars we’ve conquered many problems faced on Earth
There are no trees or birds and we use laughing gas for mirth
There are no machinations so we have no use for tools
And here is where we’ll put the Mars Academy of Schools
Where we can ask the question, what is terraforming worth-
Why make Mars life-friendly and destroy it back on Earth?
Joseph John Racano
Revisitation
The flight to Earth takes only seconds
Clear blue alpine water beckons
We stow enough to slake our masses
Breaking liquid into gasses
Every thousand years repeated
This time found your world depleted
When we leave we’ll scour space
Try to find another place
But for now a job at hand
Hover high above the land
Frightening cowboys in the saddle
Levitating chosen cattle
Laser beam precision cuts
Procure genetics from their butts
When the process is complete
Drop them in the highest trees
Then it’s on to city lights
Abductees and sleepless nights
Soft examination towels
Next day they remember owls
Then before we turn to go
Launched as from an archers bow
Message left in field of corn
Earth is where our race was born
Joseph John Racano
A Question of Direction
Traveling a long lonely highway in space
I asked a pedestrian, “what is this place?”
After some moments he bested his fear
And said it was ‘no place’ and ‘nothing lives here’
Oh dear my good man just you must be mistaken
The planet called Earth tell me where’s it been taken?
So bright and so blue with an emerald of greenery
A topping of white puffy clouds cap the scenery
Oh my said the man with a look of confusion
The one that was here suffered nuclear fusion
They had a reactor the sun was its name
But brought it to Earth to play nuclear games
Land sakes did I tell him I see you’re in haste
But what did they do with the nuclear waste?
Oh that said the stranger with quizzical looks
It’s stored and it’s dangerous, still on the books
But please don’t be frightened it soaks in a pool
And industry wisdom brought back fossil fuel
Presto logs gasses and oil and coal
Which of course led to black spots on the soul
Now if you’ll excuse me the hour grows late
My lady awaits me for dinner and date
A thousand one pardons I pray you’ll accept
Down there is where old planet remnants are kept
Joseph John Racano
The Odd (but true) Story of when Space X met Alien Blueship
(garble*phhhhffffitt!- pop! Crack-scratch*)
"Captain we're getting a transmission."
"Very well, engage the translation dilectitrodes and put it on the monitors main screen."
"Aye Captain."
1gsjs864t2csjk winwencn (bzzzt) j bikwhjebecubveqcthen we can (frrritzz) have a conversation, over."
"We repeat, come in Earthlings, we are very interested in the red car you sent out yesterday, over."
"Alien Blueship, this is Captain Corbett of the Space X Heavy Rocket, reading you loud and clear. We hope you understand the vehicle does 0-60 in 1.9 Earthseconds, over."
"Captain Corbet, this is Z-Rell, Supreme Commander of Alien Blueship, we are very concerned about the changing chemical makeup of your planet's atmosphere, over."
"Yes Z-Rell we are pumping the ocean and atmosphere full of CO2, but these electric cars are a first big step toward righting our sinking ship. This was the only way we could overcome the censorship of the oil companies and get the word out to you."
"Well done Captain, and our regards to Elon Musk, Blueship over and out!"
Alien Blueship
'Alien Blueship
Please check out our new ship
Ain't she somethin' purty
Electric engine clean not dirty
Alien Spaceship
Moving at a fast clip
Our planet's the Titanic
Note the sign: 'Don't Panic!'
Enter Elon's people
Waking up the sheeple
Things a little hectic
Changing oil to electric
We believe that you know
We have a closing window
The President don't think so
We had to do it solo'
Joseph John Racano
(garble*phhhhffffitt!- pop! Crack-scratch*)
"Captain we're getting a transmission."
"Very well, engage the translation dilectitrodes and put it on the monitors main screen."
"Aye Captain."
1gsjs864t2csjk winwencn (bzzzt) j bikwhjebecubveqcthen we can (frrritzz) have a conversation, over."
"We repeat, come in Earthlings, we are very interested in the red car you sent out yesterday, over."
"Alien Blueship, this is Captain Corbett of the Space X Heavy Rocket, reading you loud and clear. We hope you understand the vehicle does 0-60 in 1.9 Earthseconds, over."
"Captain Corbet, this is Z-Rell, Supreme Commander of Alien Blueship, we are very concerned about the changing chemical makeup of your planet's atmosphere, over."
"Yes Z-Rell we are pumping the ocean and atmosphere full of CO2, but these electric cars are a first big step toward righting our sinking ship. This was the only way we could overcome the censorship of the oil companies and get the word out to you."
"Well done Captain, and our regards to Elon Musk, Blueship over and out!"
Alien Blueship
'Alien Blueship
Please check out our new ship
Ain't she somethin' purty
Electric engine clean not dirty
Alien Spaceship
Moving at a fast clip
Our planet's the Titanic
Note the sign: 'Don't Panic!'
Enter Elon's people
Waking up the sheeple
Things a little hectic
Changing oil to electric
We believe that you know
We have a closing window
The President don't think so
We had to do it solo'
Joseph John Racano
The Cosmic Cleaning Lady
She came to the planet seeing red
She’d already washed the dishes and made the bed
With all that through there was still much to do
Those filthy solar panels full of dust, “ah-Choo!”
First came Rover, then came Spirit
They called her again and she didn’t wanna hear it
Thirty-four million miles of traveling through space
And they still left red dust all over the place
Meanwhile back on Earth the papers were asking
‘Who’s been up on Mars multi-tasking?’
Those solar panels didn’t just clean themselves
Does anybody think it was the little space-elves?
A cleaning event, and it’s happened four times!
We always know it’s happening when Voyager chimes
Whoever has been doing it, thank you very much
It’s mighty kind of you to act so neighborly and such
Or the skeptics may be right and it’s the Cosmic Cleaning Lady
She might be in a crater, all those places dark and shady
Pulling ‘round a bucket filled with mops and stellar sponges
Leaning over Rover ‘till at panel dust she lunges
Now another exploration vehicle’s been launched
Sending NASA images ‘till panels have been staunched
If we can’t get aliens or Alice from Mrs. Brady
We can always count on her, the Cosmic Cleaning Lady
Joseph John Racano
*who cleaned the solar panels on the Mars Rover?!
The Black Hole
Peering through the darkness toward the cosmic soul
My telescope red-radioed a big black hole
Bigger than a bread box but smaller than a god
It made the Horsehead nebulae look all the much less odd
I contacted authorities by faxing them a scan
To get the guys from Space-X to formulate a plan
A plan to build a rocket ship that ran on neon light
(In theory using neon fuel would serve to keep the rocket cool)
Through wind and weather, it came together
We used what tools we had
Within a year the end was near
The ship sat on the pad
I got a call from Elon Musk
He said the ship would launch at dusk
Mechanics rolled up cardboard mats
Ground crew all wore tin foil hats
The moon rose up, we counted down
Liftoff at the stroke of sundown
Streak of light into the night
Systems go it all worked right
At four we hit the worm-hole door
Our space suits leaking on the floor
By five we’d left the human hive
Then pitch and yaw but still alive
After that was just a blur
Until we heard a Martian slur
They don’t take kindly to our kind
Left those antennae-heads behind
Turbulence and sickening drops
Out the wormhole spaceship pops
And there it was in all its’ glory
Spinning hole please tell your story
“Well” he said, as he cleared his throat
“Tell Mr. Musk I really like his boat.
The neon drive is a novel idea
Now try some of this in here and in here”
We instantly went into spin
It was easier to see out than it was to see in
We started going back in time
Was that my mom singing nursery rhyme?
We ricocheted around the hole
And saw into the cosmic soul
All events through space and time
Before my eyes and wholly mine
Dinosaurs were there among us
So were the three ships of Christopher Columbus
Holy crosses, midget tosses
Dead-end jobs with lousy bosses
People trying to cross the border
Fishes flopping out of water
Lions on the Serengeti
Light beams stretched out like spaghetti
“That’s it now, your time is up”
said Big Black Hole to frightened pup
And just like that, time jerked our rope
And I was right back looking through my telescope
Peering through the darkness toward the cosmic soul
My telescope red-radioed a big black hole
Bigger than a bread box but smaller than a god
It made the Horsehead nebulae look all the much less odd
I contacted authorities by faxing them a scan
To get the guys from Space-X to formulate a plan
A plan to build a rocket ship that ran on neon light
(In theory using neon fuel would serve to keep the rocket cool)
Through wind and weather, it came together
We used what tools we had
Within a year the end was near
The ship sat on the pad
I got a call from Elon Musk
He said the ship would launch at dusk
Mechanics rolled up cardboard mats
Ground crew all wore tin foil hats
The moon rose up, we counted down
Liftoff at the stroke of sundown
Streak of light into the night
Systems go it all worked right
At four we hit the worm-hole door
Our space suits leaking on the floor
By five we’d left the human hive
Then pitch and yaw but still alive
After that was just a blur
Until we heard a Martian slur
They don’t take kindly to our kind
Left those antennae-heads behind
Turbulence and sickening drops
Out the wormhole spaceship pops
And there it was in all its’ glory
Spinning hole please tell your story
“Well” he said, as he cleared his throat
“Tell Mr. Musk I really like his boat.
The neon drive is a novel idea
Now try some of this in here and in here”
We instantly went into spin
It was easier to see out than it was to see in
We started going back in time
Was that my mom singing nursery rhyme?
We ricocheted around the hole
And saw into the cosmic soul
All events through space and time
Before my eyes and wholly mine
Dinosaurs were there among us
So were the three ships of Christopher Columbus
Holy crosses, midget tosses
Dead-end jobs with lousy bosses
People trying to cross the border
Fishes flopping out of water
Lions on the Serengeti
Light beams stretched out like spaghetti
“That’s it now, your time is up”
said Big Black Hole to frightened pup
And just like that, time jerked our rope
And I was right back looking through my telescope
Moonset Strip
Friday night on the Moonset Strip
Working the late shift was always a trip
Ladies night at Dereck’s every drink is a double
Martians at the El Cortez a recipe for trouble
Bouncing for the Shore Patrol one weekend a month
The work is very dangerous they have to pay up front
Another month another mission, paying for my kid’s tuition
Fourteen stories, got a jumper broke his fall on someone’s bumper
Lunar Mother, Shore Patrol, set an ambulance to roll
Shore Patrol, Lunar Mother, sorry we can’t spare another
That’s ok the body’s gone, last seen leaving with a blonde
Intercept a perp absconding, roger Mother, now responding
Sirens howling, red lights flashing, into alleys dealers dashing
Lunar Base to Shore Patrol rotate over, take control
Barroom brawl at El Cortez, do as duty bouncer says
Mother, we have made the flip, turning back on Moonset Strip
'Where the stars are in your own backyard
The gravity’s light and the pavement’s hard
The air is thin and the smoke is thick
And on every corner waits a fancy trick
It’s Friday night on the Moonset Strip
I’m carrying a ray gun with a pistol grip'
Fourteen stories up someone’s puking from the window
Lady’s night at Dereck’s, if I wasn’t working I would go
Shore Patrol, Lunar Mother, One ship docking then another
Meet them at the docking station, issue if you can citation
Lunar Mother Shore Patrol we roger that are on the roll
Questioning a handcuffed chick, Friday night on the Moonset Strip
To the warehouse had to take her, dammit but we couldn’t break her
Made a deal, she sponged a pecker, we in turn expunged her record
Arrived in style, Shore Patrol car, dropped her off at Dereck’s bar
Elevator fourteenth floor, Ladies Night, the doubles pour
Shore Patrol, what is the hold up, El Cajones in progress hold up
You guys playing tricks again? Told you don’t do that my friend
Never mind the coast is clear, someone lost their ear ring ear
Just like that they said he tripped, Friday night on the Moonset Strip
'Where the stars are in your own backyard
The gravity’s light and the pavement’s hard
The air is thin and the smoke is thick
And on every corner is a fancy trick'
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/27/2021
Art: Max Bedulenko
Driving While Alien
Came a bright and shining star
On down from up above
An interstellar motor car
A lab in search of love
A disc replete with tri-pod feet
As landed were deployed
A sparkly thing of screw and spring
From out in inky void
Touching down in center town
The craft spun to a stop
Was barely had unlatched the hatch
Confronted by a cop
Among citations it received
The one for DWA
Was hard as hell to be believed
And craft just flew away
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/10/2021
Came a bright and shining star
On down from up above
An interstellar motor car
A lab in search of love
A disc replete with tri-pod feet
As landed were deployed
A sparkly thing of screw and spring
From out in inky void
Touching down in center town
The craft spun to a stop
Was barely had unlatched the hatch
Confronted by a cop
Among citations it received
The one for DWA
Was hard as hell to be believed
And craft just flew away
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/10/2021
College of the Red Spires
On a desolate planet of silky red sand
Monolith spires of scarlet rock stand
And in their night sky rises once every eon
A lunar cathedral of glowing bright neon
And when from behind it peeks out like a child
Becomes at its zenith a cosmic sundial
Unerring its stroke on a pendulum rope
The grandfather clock by which Zeus did elope
Galaxial whirlpool of circular motion
Spiral upwelling in a red cosmic ocean
Just for that moment of bottom dead center
Does open the portal that mortals may enter
Chauffeured inside via inert red gasses
Please wear provided red violet glasses
Welcome to class for the first day of college
At the stroke we’ll dispense all the universe’s knowledge
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/19/2021
Artwork: justv_23
On a desolate planet of silky red sand
Monolith spires of scarlet rock stand
And in their night sky rises once every eon
A lunar cathedral of glowing bright neon
And when from behind it peeks out like a child
Becomes at its zenith a cosmic sundial
Unerring its stroke on a pendulum rope
The grandfather clock by which Zeus did elope
Galaxial whirlpool of circular motion
Spiral upwelling in a red cosmic ocean
Just for that moment of bottom dead center
Does open the portal that mortals may enter
Chauffeured inside via inert red gasses
Please wear provided red violet glasses
Welcome to class for the first day of college
At the stroke we’ll dispense all the universe’s knowledge
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/19/2021
Artwork: justv_23
Happy New Year 4022
Happy New Year Forty Twenty-two
A lot of your relatives have been waiting for you
I’ll start at the beginning you had a bad crash
And were placed in a coma your head took a bash
The decades went by and technology grew
The doctors did everything they could for you
After a while they all found it strange
Suspended animation kept you living long-range
The sons and grandsons of these doctors took over
And you were placed onto the Tesla Mars Rover
The DNA samples we found from antiquity
Were quite beneficial by some serendipity
We gave you injections along with your therapy
Moved you to Jupiter, friends worried terribly
Some volunteered to knit you a cocoon
Then sent it by rocket mail straight from the moon
Now you’re awake and I’m sure you have questions
But first please allow me to give you suggestions
Have a martini and don’t be so blue
Happy New Year, on Jupiter, 4022
Joseph John Racano
artwork by: FerreusDemonArt
Happy New Year Forty Twenty-two
A lot of your relatives have been waiting for you
I’ll start at the beginning you had a bad crash
And were placed in a coma your head took a bash
The decades went by and technology grew
The doctors did everything they could for you
After a while they all found it strange
Suspended animation kept you living long-range
The sons and grandsons of these doctors took over
And you were placed onto the Tesla Mars Rover
The DNA samples we found from antiquity
Were quite beneficial by some serendipity
We gave you injections along with your therapy
Moved you to Jupiter, friends worried terribly
Some volunteered to knit you a cocoon
Then sent it by rocket mail straight from the moon
Now you’re awake and I’m sure you have questions
But first please allow me to give you suggestions
Have a martini and don’t be so blue
Happy New Year, on Jupiter, 4022
Joseph John Racano
artwork by: FerreusDemonArt
Bluepurpla
I was still a young man when I went to the land of Bluepurpla
On a bright day in May I set out on my way to Bluepurpla
Was it only a myth, did it really exist, I promised to get to the bottom of this
I left for off-world I called up my girl lovely Ursula
Her phone rang forever the message was clever
Unless you’re a clone, at the sound of the tone leave a message for me
I will be all alone, this is Ursula
I already heard you’ll be free as a bird on Bluepurpla
Have a care when you go where the cosmic winds blow
You will reap what you sow but just go ahead go to Bluepurpla
We said our goodbyes through her squeals and her cries darling Ursula
I couldn’t reach out to her watering eyes; with each bon voyage a relationship dies
Slipped into stasis a long time in space is Bluepurpla
The moons and the suns made peripheral runs
Nebulous dust iced our wings by the tons
I finally awoke to the smell of fresh buns
I turned on the heater and looked at the meter
The long journey made the arrival much sweeter
The two way engaged and a voice was enraged
A button snapped on and the static was gone
Home base had sent messages now merely vestiges
Long ago orders from obsolete borders
Spacecraft arrived and I still alive
Apparently I was four thousand and five
And there out the window those cold cosmic winds blow
The one lasting memory of someone quite dear to me
One who can no longer be anywhere near to me
Love always came first with her my dear darling Urula
Oh how I wish you were here on Bluepurpla!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/5/14/2022
I was still a young man when I went to the land of Bluepurpla
On a bright day in May I set out on my way to Bluepurpla
Was it only a myth, did it really exist, I promised to get to the bottom of this
I left for off-world I called up my girl lovely Ursula
Her phone rang forever the message was clever
Unless you’re a clone, at the sound of the tone leave a message for me
I will be all alone, this is Ursula
I already heard you’ll be free as a bird on Bluepurpla
Have a care when you go where the cosmic winds blow
You will reap what you sow but just go ahead go to Bluepurpla
We said our goodbyes through her squeals and her cries darling Ursula
I couldn’t reach out to her watering eyes; with each bon voyage a relationship dies
Slipped into stasis a long time in space is Bluepurpla
The moons and the suns made peripheral runs
Nebulous dust iced our wings by the tons
I finally awoke to the smell of fresh buns
I turned on the heater and looked at the meter
The long journey made the arrival much sweeter
The two way engaged and a voice was enraged
A button snapped on and the static was gone
Home base had sent messages now merely vestiges
Long ago orders from obsolete borders
Spacecraft arrived and I still alive
Apparently I was four thousand and five
And there out the window those cold cosmic winds blow
The one lasting memory of someone quite dear to me
One who can no longer be anywhere near to me
Love always came first with her my dear darling Urula
Oh how I wish you were here on Bluepurpla!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/5/14/2022
The Graduated Universe
Upon graduation from a carbon world
A motivated group of alien boys and girls
Decided they would try to bring into existence
Something new and better but they met resistance
‘Just imagine if…’ began the valedictorian
‘I don’t like it,’ said the class Mandalorian
‘OK, hear me out- see all that wide empty space?
‘We could move some planets there to fill up the place’
So it was these graduate industrious aliens
Devised a game of billiards both effective and salient
Sending many planets quite enormous ringed and Jovian
Hurtling through a school zone pissing off the head Monrovian
Yet when all was said and done both space and time did hang
Expanding in their proper place pursuant to big bang
They even sent an asteroid to free Earth from reptilians
No one knows how much they made, I’m sure they got paid millions
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/6/4/2022
Upon graduation from a carbon world
A motivated group of alien boys and girls
Decided they would try to bring into existence
Something new and better but they met resistance
‘Just imagine if…’ began the valedictorian
‘I don’t like it,’ said the class Mandalorian
‘OK, hear me out- see all that wide empty space?
‘We could move some planets there to fill up the place’
So it was these graduate industrious aliens
Devised a game of billiards both effective and salient
Sending many planets quite enormous ringed and Jovian
Hurtling through a school zone pissing off the head Monrovian
Yet when all was said and done both space and time did hang
Expanding in their proper place pursuant to big bang
They even sent an asteroid to free Earth from reptilians
No one knows how much they made, I’m sure they got paid millions
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/6/4/2022
The Pillars of Creation
Pillars of Creation
Care not for any nation
Beams of interstellar starlight
Dreams of intergalaxial night
Light so straight it has to bend
As it comes so shall it end
Fingers reaching beyond the veil
Cosmic galleons setting sail
Looking so immense from here
Cotton candy on a spear
Waltzing through forever night
Velvet backdrop splashed in white
Space borne garland silver tinsel
Astronomic voice of minstrel
Boundless void so brooding, moody
Let me walk in timeless beauty
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/10/19/22
Pillars of Creation
Care not for any nation
Beams of interstellar starlight
Dreams of intergalaxial night
Light so straight it has to bend
As it comes so shall it end
Fingers reaching beyond the veil
Cosmic galleons setting sail
Looking so immense from here
Cotton candy on a spear
Waltzing through forever night
Velvet backdrop splashed in white
Space borne garland silver tinsel
Astronomic voice of minstrel
Boundless void so brooding, moody
Let me walk in timeless beauty
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/10/19/22
|
|
A Fall from Grace
The skies coughed blood, the birds drank mud
The vast expanses were out of chances
The herds fell still, the air was chill
The storks performed their final love dances
And off to space, the human race
To disappear without a trace
The aliens came to find a mess
And a sad and lonely I.S.S.
So in our place a round glass case
And deep inside a human face
A NoAA’s Ark, out in the dark
All resurrected from a piece of bark
The E.T.’s came from far around
To show their kids what they had found
A last best slice of Nature’s pie
Held stationary in the sky
epilogue…
So when within a parsec’s throw
Please stop in before you go
And see the remnants of our race
Who had it all but fell from grace
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/19/2022
The skies coughed blood, the birds drank mud
The vast expanses were out of chances
The herds fell still, the air was chill
The storks performed their final love dances
And off to space, the human race
To disappear without a trace
The aliens came to find a mess
And a sad and lonely I.S.S.
So in our place a round glass case
And deep inside a human face
A NoAA’s Ark, out in the dark
All resurrected from a piece of bark
The E.T.’s came from far around
To show their kids what they had found
A last best slice of Nature’s pie
Held stationary in the sky
epilogue…
So when within a parsec’s throw
Please stop in before you go
And see the remnants of our race
Who had it all but fell from grace
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/11/19/2022
Stratus 10
Spaceborne mission Stratus Ten
Pierce the boundaries yet again
Escape velocity Melbourne launch
Jawbones set backbones staunch
Stratus Ten how do you read
Make the jump to hyper speed
Roll far left that is to say
Hard to port and on your way
Have a gander drop the shield
Approach with caution asteroid field
Set warp jets at google mach
Then acknowledge backward clock
Please report reverse time flow
You should arrive three years ago
Set support to hibernate
Rendezvous with Stratus Eight
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/8/22
Spaceborne mission Stratus Ten
Pierce the boundaries yet again
Escape velocity Melbourne launch
Jawbones set backbones staunch
Stratus Ten how do you read
Make the jump to hyper speed
Roll far left that is to say
Hard to port and on your way
Have a gander drop the shield
Approach with caution asteroid field
Set warp jets at google mach
Then acknowledge backward clock
Please report reverse time flow
You should arrive three years ago
Set support to hibernate
Rendezvous with Stratus Eight
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/8/22
Spacecomp One
Spacecomp One, do please come in, are you still at your desk
If you are, pack up essentials just forget the rest
Acknowledge, please acknowledge if you're still about the station
The cluster cones have burned away we're leaking radiation
Be sure to load all data to the flashdrive of your choice
Cough* and please forgive me I'm about to lose my voice
Check outside the windows for conditions on the bridge
Don't forget the burlap bag supplies are in the fridge
Was there time to don your suit be sure to bring some water
Out here we’re all sitting ducks and floating to the slaughter
Rocket-driven canisters of gasoline projectiles
Zooming through our ranks like hungry bat-wing Pterodactyls
Spacecomp One if you can read me send a signal flare
Shoot it straight above your head I’ll see it if it’s there
The central core is glowing and will soon begin expansion
Guess I won’t retire back on Earth to that McMansion
If you managed to escape, got out and got away
Get a message to my wife I’ll tell you what to say
The mission was a waste of time there’s no one left on Mars
Everybody went to Earth and purchased fancy cars
Now we’ve come full circle Earth to Mars and back to Earth
And I regret not dying on the planet of my birth
Spacecomp One I’m signing off I leave command to you
Choose any spiral galaxy and launch my casket through
Joseph John Racano
Spacecomp One, do please come in, are you still at your desk
If you are, pack up essentials just forget the rest
Acknowledge, please acknowledge if you're still about the station
The cluster cones have burned away we're leaking radiation
Be sure to load all data to the flashdrive of your choice
Cough* and please forgive me I'm about to lose my voice
Check outside the windows for conditions on the bridge
Don't forget the burlap bag supplies are in the fridge
Was there time to don your suit be sure to bring some water
Out here we’re all sitting ducks and floating to the slaughter
Rocket-driven canisters of gasoline projectiles
Zooming through our ranks like hungry bat-wing Pterodactyls
Spacecomp One if you can read me send a signal flare
Shoot it straight above your head I’ll see it if it’s there
The central core is glowing and will soon begin expansion
Guess I won’t retire back on Earth to that McMansion
If you managed to escape, got out and got away
Get a message to my wife I’ll tell you what to say
The mission was a waste of time there’s no one left on Mars
Everybody went to Earth and purchased fancy cars
Now we’ve come full circle Earth to Mars and back to Earth
And I regret not dying on the planet of my birth
Spacecomp One I’m signing off I leave command to you
Choose any spiral galaxy and launch my casket through
Joseph John Racano
The Beacon
Call the Whitehouse call the deacon
Earth has just received a beacon
Cross expanses radar dances
No one really knows the reason
Willy nilly through the cosmos
Far flung signals alien radios
Bouncing off the rings of Saturn
So far no one sees a pattern
Could it be
Omuamua
Once again come
passing through-a
Star-storm lightning
Downright frightening
Tumbling dice rolled through the eons
Please alert the Europeans
Doesn’t make much sense at all
Unless it’s just a return call
Spock to base please let me know
Who called 8 billion years ago
I couldn’t reach the phone in time
I guess they got my silly rhyme
Whosoever rang the line
Please call back another time
Leave your name and time of calling
Oops our civilization’s falling!
Joseph John Racano
Call the Whitehouse call the deacon
Earth has just received a beacon
Cross expanses radar dances
No one really knows the reason
Willy nilly through the cosmos
Far flung signals alien radios
Bouncing off the rings of Saturn
So far no one sees a pattern
Could it be
Omuamua
Once again come
passing through-a
Star-storm lightning
Downright frightening
Tumbling dice rolled through the eons
Please alert the Europeans
Doesn’t make much sense at all
Unless it’s just a return call
Spock to base please let me know
Who called 8 billion years ago
I couldn’t reach the phone in time
I guess they got my silly rhyme
Whosoever rang the line
Please call back another time
Leave your name and time of calling
Oops our civilization’s falling!
Joseph John Racano