October 06th, 2021

The Last Voyage of Sinbad

Part I, Chapter One

This is the story of Sinbad’s last journey
As writ on a tablet of stone
Discovered beneath was a sword and a sheath
And a scurvilous tatter of bone

Far from the waters he so loved to ride
Buried in sand it was wrapped in a hide
Carved with good care in meticulous fashion
Arabic lept off the rock with a passion

I sat in the shade of a sandstone outcropping
Stories of glory soon had my eyes popping
A sailor, his crew and a dog with a limp
The good ship Chimera two parrots, a chimp

They left from the olde Port of Basra it told
Loaded with convicts who loved only gold
Except for the captain, who everyone knew
Had love for a princess and cared for his crew

The weather idyllic they headed due South
Passed through the Straits of Hormuz at the mouth
Clouds made of cotton reflected on glass
Chimera was skating on ice as they passed

Through the first week there was stillness and silence
Then came a storm and its requisite violence
Batten the hatches and tie down the sails
The latter were torn into ribbons from gales

Then from the darkness the clouds above parted
Storm winds subsided as fast as they started
And everything sailors had known was upended
As down from on high a behemoth descended

Some men were praying to various gods
Bettors among them saw very long odds
Something defying the captains description
Now chiseled in stone Aramaic encryption

The scribe wrote of humming that deafened the ears
A bee whose proportions brought convicts to tears
Turning its body and churning with light
Hairy antennae and bringer of fright

Then the ship lightened and started to shift
Without trace of rope the Chimera did lift
The watery droplets came thundering down
And with them the scribe who fought hard not to drown

Drawn the whole ship midst the humming and racket
Into the stomach of this yellowjacket
Leaving the scribe as a witness below
Away to the stars Captain Sinbad did go!

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/12/2020

Searching for Sinbad

Part I, Chapter Two

Word came in the form of a mystical scribe
That Sinbad the sailor of Baghdad had died
They told Sinbad’s brother Riah, meaning ‘wind’
The news had all seamen in Basra chagrined

Riah set off right away to the palace
Met with the sultan and drank from his chalice
He told the great sultan he needed a ship
And soon he was led to one tied in a slip

Fully supplied with dry food and good drink
Soothsayer paid to know what did she think
Skeleton crew and a map duly marked
Thanking the sultan, brave Riah embarked

High overhead melancholy red clouds
Backlit with moonlight became angel’s shrouds
Sinbad’s young brother now six months behind him
Fist to the heavens he swore he would find him

Weather nor sea swell could make Riah falter
Soon they were passing the Rock of Gibralter
Then as the moon dipped below the horizon
Came such a screeching this far out surprising

Riah called up for to be on the lookout
Maybe a whale for a spout keep an eye out
Then came the screech of an owl from hell
The sound like a hellion skipped oe’r the swell

But just before demons were loosed from their yoke
An island was sighted as morning had broke
A merciful morning indeed that it be
An island of paradise with much fruit and tree

Riah sent two of the crewmen ashore
Climb for the fruit and replenish the store
One made it back, one was still in the tree
When Cyclops appeared with but one eye to see!

They pulled up the anchor and held closed their ears
The sound of him being devoured took years
Finally gaining a distance from shore
All fell to silence they heard him no more

Told Captain Riah the rest of his crew
Something’s amiss and we’ve more work to do
The Cyclops walked freely where once was a chain
I fear that the dragon is loosened again

That night as the new moon shone dangerous dark
All ‘rounst the boat came the splashing of shark
And off in the distance that screech of an owl
Louder and louder ‘till came to a howl

Now came the dragon and spitting his flame
Men ran away unencumbered by shame
Sails catching fire did spread to the mast
They lowered the lifeboats abandoning fast

And drifting away into dark and the night
The captain and crew floated off in good fright
Forty days later to wash up on shore
To gather themselves and seek Sinbad once more!

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/14/2020

Return to Dragon Island

Part I, Chapter Three

The princess was Parisa
and Autumn didn’t care
About the open flame of
Summer fire in her hair

She badly missed her Sinbad
and long had he been gone
Without his salted kiss
she saw no reason to go on

Riah was his brother
whose search had doomed to fail
Parisa asked her father
for a ship that he could sail

With his crew still waterlogged
from months adrift at sea
Riah rode on camelback
to drink the sultan’s tea

The princess used her pouting lip
and father built a mighty ship
With three tall masts and sails of flannel
even quarters for his camel

Six months later it was done
They christened it the Golden Sun
With Riah, crew, comforts few
and stow away that no one knew

They set a course due South and East
to find the island of the beast
It did not show on any map
but Riah knew just where it sat

Land of Cyclops, dragons too
and hope, perhaps, to find a clue
They sailed into the evening mist
The Golden Sun designed for this

Left behind all sign of land
The captain left the helm to hand
And went below ‘till sun did rise
and got he now a big surprise

Parisa was a stowaway
He shook his head, what could he say
They had a tiff and went to bed
The sultan would now have his head

Morning called the albatross
The fishing lines were being tossed
The cook had flounder on the grill
The princess knitting time to kill

Ropes were spiraled on the deck
The helmsman rubbed his bad sore neck
Far off on the South horizon
crow’s nest started shouting ‘Island!’

As the day wore on it grew
Verdant mountains, what a view
Who would think a place like this
could so embrace the devil’s kiss

Some were frightened some euphoric
Circling birds looked prehistoric
Princess wore the clothes she knitted
Keeping warm and tightly fitted

Riah called upon his crew
To do what they were paid to do
Prepare the back packs they would need
Sharpen spears of bamboo reed

They would sleep aboard tonight
Making landfall at first light
Gentle rolling of the deep
rocked Parisa off to sleep

Joseph John Racano

Attack of the Cyclops

Part I, Chapter Four

The sun bounced up from briny depths
The sea as mild as it gets
Sea birds chattered on the wing
Autumn had now turned to Spring

Captain Riah warned the crew
The perils were many, escape routes few
They took to lifeboats one by one
And left behind the Golden Sun

Fair Parisa made a dash
Dove in with a gentle splash
Climbed aboard the final boat
Years of practice in the palace moat

Burly crewmen did the rest
Walked in water to their chest
Towing rope upon their shoulder
Heroes just don’t get much bolder

They pulled the lifeboats up on sand
Some knelt down and kissed the land
Tied the boats to cattail rush
And skittered into the underbrush

Halfway to the Dragon’s lair
Princess had to brush her hair
All her clothing wet and damp
Riah built a fire and camp

On the fire a lunch of Pollak
All around the strange did frolic
Creatures none had ever seen
Eyes of yellow, skins of green

When the fish had been consumed
Parisa dry and fresh perfumed
Men took point with sharpened spears
Captain read the map arears

Cyclops cave was just ahead
Filled the crew with stench and dread
Then came ambush from the cave
Took Parisa for a slave

In the battle two were killed
Riah climbed atop the hill
Mighty Cyclops stood below
Riah struck a mortal blow

Plunged a spear to base of neck
Cyclops fell to knees a wreck
Writhing in his last death cry
Took a spear into his eye

Riah quick untied Parisa
Kissed her like a little sister
Opened up a treasure chest
Found some sort of alien crest

Now the remnant crew departed
Two dead, others broken-hearted
What next was the crew to do
The alien crest might hold the clue

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/15/2020

Circles in the Sky

Part I, Chapter Five

Back on board the Golden Sun
They first accounted everyone
Those still living mourned the dead
Riah gathered crew and said

‘Braver men I’ve never seen
Have some food and get ye clean
Yoeman make a final tally
We’ll talk further in the galley'

While Parisa got some rest
Riah probed the alien crest
Down below and out of sight
Sparing all the crew good fright

At his touch it gave a spark
All the lamps fell sudden dark
Then it started pulsing red
Woke the princess from her bed

Quickly it was put away
To be probed another day
Now the Golden Sun full sail
Crashed through whitecap wave and gale

Far off in the dusky sky
That foul dragon did fly by
Opened up his maw to laugh
In his jaws a freshly calf

Jerked his head and wolfed it down
On leather wings did bank around
Back to distant island shore
All hoped he’d be seen no more

Now the ocean settled calm
Seabirds perched on floating palm
Princess up and fully dressed
Went on deck to see the crest

Riah kept the crew at bay
From the alien crest away
In a circle on the deck
Good luck charms around their neck

All sat cross-leg ‘neath the stars
Muttering a chant to Mars
Calling forth the god of war
Asking what the crest was for

Then in answer far below
From the fathoms came a glow
First they thought it was the dragon
Far worse still, it came the kraken!

Tentacles and sucker discs
Each bright red in bubbling mist
Eye like saucer, beak of a parrot
Eyeing men like they were carrots

Then he spoke from beneath the waves
Where sailors sleep in liquid graves
‘I speak for the god of war-
The alien crest is but a door!’

‘Rub it like the genie’s lamp
Rub until no longer damp
Then do keep a watchful eye
Between the planet and the sky!’

Down into the depths he sank
Where wobbegong sharks keep seaweed dank
And all eyes down below crows nest
Watched as Riah rubbed the crest

Then came circles in the sky
Superstitious crewmen cried
Concentric circles one by one
Above the good ship Golden Sun

Round and round the circles spun
Mars guffawing at his pun
Until amidst the blank of night
An alien spacecraft loomed in flight

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/16/2020

Red Planet Rendezvous

Part I, Chapter Four VI

Concentric circles, a wheel within a wheel
From distant horizons shone light beams afield
A Martian technology parting the sky
Perhaps to return mighty Sinbad they fly

Crewmen not cowards yet cower they did
When under the airborne craft opened a lid
And Sinbad came floating down riding a beam
Causing all crewmen to joyously scream

Far down below, a fair princess awaits
For an ecstatic reunion of mates
Down from the heavens good Sinbad arrived
Still called the luckiest sailor alive

Under the sailing ship came a red glow
Tentacled kraken with treasures in tow
Piling doubloons, pearls and gold on the deck
And giving Parisa more jewels for her neck

With Mars beaming brightly the spaceship took off
Newlywed lovers retired to their loft
Riah relinquished the ship on his own
Performed a sea wedding and sailed them back home

Back at the palace the sultan rejoiced
Calling both Riah and Sinbad ‘his boys’
Then he gave Princess Parisa away
Sinbad in love with her still to this day

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/16/2020


The New Voyages of Sinbad- Part Two:

                              'Jurassica'

Part II, Chapter One
Jurassica

Have you an ear for the tale of Jurassica
Remote, prehistoric, Sinbad dino-classica
Sit on a capstan and sip some warm meade
I know it by heart so I don’t need to read

Twas after the kingdom had passed between hands
And Sinbad was loosed from the Sultan’s commands
He now had the time to weigh anchor for pleasure
And mix it with business, perhaps to seek treasure

He’d heard an old salty one night in a bar
Out on the back streets of Shadamazar
Speak tale of diamonds and golden doubloons
Dropped by world-travelers from hot-air balloons

Blown off their course, when the wind forced their hand
Lighten the load or be forced down to land
Seeing Jurassica’s monsters below
They knew it wasn’t a place they should go

And what care has monster for silvery coin
Their treasure was tossed may someday to rejoin
Old salty said, 'argh, I was one of those men’
Then he fell dead never speaking again

Sinbad knew well where Jurassica lay
Having marooned there three years and a day
Swore to the gods he would never return
But now lured by treasure, oh when would he learn

Riah his brother did gather a crew
Master at arms with full body tattoo
Three meters tall from the island in question
Giving him orders be mostly suggestion

Off they did sail making time in a wind
Goodbye to those they may not see again
No time for missing of wife and a daughter
Lashing to bulkhead wood drums of fresh water

‘Helmsmen’ barked Sinbad, ‘are ye all the way flank?
The sooner we land, we have gold in the bank!’
Gold to buy women a new pair of shoes
Or sit at the tavern and ply them with booze!’

‘Yo!’ the men shouted all laughing with cheer
There were no greenhorns among them this year
None leaning over the bulkhead to vomit
New moon highlighted a streaking blue comet

Milky Way reaching to hug the big dipper
All aboard counting the stars but the skipper
Below with a star chart and mariner’s map
Burning the whale oil then to his nap

All the while closer and closer they drew
Island of treasure and Dinosaurs too
Sinbad rolled over and skillfully spat
Flush on the back of a scurrying rat

Joseph John Racano

                                                                                                              

Part II, Chapter Two

Test of the Tempest

At 7:00 am the cook’s chow bell rang out
‘Chow time!’ the cook from his galley did shout
And no sooner did the first chow bell give ring
Then sailors lined up and the servers did sing,

‘Red sky at night and the rubies shine bright
Clear sky this morning no storm for the warning
Stars set to twinkle means diamonds and jade
Make me a landlubber with a French maide!’

The crewmen went topside to earn a paycheck
Some hoisting sails, others swabbing the deck
Then from the crow’s nest a sharp-eyed lookout
Said, ‘Captain, the water is whirling about’

Sinbad with dispatch his telescope drew
This was a whirlpool, he’d seen quite a few
But this one was larger than those he had seen
Sucking down octopus, whales and baleen

‘Hard to the starboard now give me right rudder!’
Helm turning fast made the planks below shudder
‘Now come about’ mighty Sinbad gave orders
‘That was too close, let’s be gone from these waters’

And now with the whirpool disturbance quite distant
Up ahead storm clouds arrived in an instant
Batten the hatches and take down the sails
Tie yourselves firmly, prepare for the gales’

Then the wind blew from a storm to a tempest
The lookout slid down the hemp rope from the crow’s nest
Seventeen hours the onslaught continued
The ocean will test to find what you’ve got in you

The Golden Sun finally emerged from the storm
Hull was intact and a legend was born
Sinbad was proud of his good crew this day
They hoisted the sails and got back underway

Joseph John Racano

Part II, Chapter Three

Enter the Argosy

Sinbad awoke slumping over the helm
Joining his crew in their great overwhelm
The ship Golden Sun was now in coastal waters
Evidence plenty of maritime slaughters

Merchant half-vessels were sunk in the mold
Dead Spanish Galleons from legends of old
Long-ago hulls of original hardwood
Now burnt out hollows of sepia charred good

Half of the Golden Sun crew lined to starboard
Eyes disbelieving such ships rendered cardboard
Half stood to port keeping watch for the treasure
Nothing they saw spoke remotely of pleasure

As they approached the great archway of doom
Sinbad was hoping the mast would have room
Many an argosy ended this way
Sinbad and crew hoped to see the next day

Then came the scraping of woodwork on stone
Wrecking here meant having sharks gnaw their bone
‘Steady’ said Sinbad to his tattooed giant
The seven-foot helmsman was fully compliant

Now came the scraping of hull on the shallows
Frightening men as if facing a gallows
Into the archway and under and through
To a man everyone let with a ‘whew’

Then came the order and splash to weigh anchor
All remained quiet, no usual rancor
Just one more ship dancing in the lagoon
Sinbad his crew and the new crescent moon

Joseph John Racano

---

---

Part II, Chapter Four

Treasure Party

A treasure party left the boat
In water deep enough to float
Taking skiff and scow ashore
Where most had never been before

None except the captain who
Had wrecked here with another crew
And now returned to the make-shift hut
Where a bamboo cross marks a long dead mutt

They chased the iguanas and stored supplies
Listened to the jungle and its feral cries
Then Captain Sinbad laid out the plan
Send a scout up the hills, ‘climb as high as ye can’

Make a chart of the mountain tops
Keep an eye for treasure drops
Where to steer a big balloon
Rather than to be marooned

‘Aye’ came the answer from a tight-knit crew
Sailors with an attitude of we can do
At dusk they built a fire using old wood slabs
And fed the crew a dozen roasted coconut crabs

Afterward the giant stood a long first watch
Everybody else was trying to sleep on rocks
Maybe in the morning they would find a balloon
Anything was better than this creepy lagoon

Joseph John Racano

Part II, Chapter Five
Mapping Jurassica

At first light of day up the mountain they scurried
Climbing through lizards who parted unhurried
Higher and higher through cloud-forest greenery
To a man breathless observing the scenery

Scaling the flanks with a long way to go
Rocks tumbling down to the jungle below
Grabbing at roots and occasional snake
Danger was in every move they would make

With giant mosquitoes attacking behind
Welts on their back itching out of their minds
Finally they gained a protective outcropping
There the lead scout shouted, ‘ok, we’re stopping’

Now in position to well reconnoiter
Backs to the mountain and guzzling water
One then producing a primitive monocle
Studying peaks, tall, steep and conical

Now with a quite satisfactory route
Each then deployed rudimentary chute
Which floated them slowly to valley below
While large prehistoric birds put on a show

They made a soft landing in cattail and sedge
Coaxing a last crewman still on the ledge
Screaming in language as never been heard
Until carried off by reptilian bird

The map got to Sinbad back at the lagoon
They having made it before afternoon
Laid out and studied and studied s’more
Then scratched his head and asked,
‘what are these marks for?’

‘The birds knew the route a ballooner would try
We just wrote it down, wherever they’d fly’
This impressed Sinbad to break out the rum
‘Let’s all have a time of it, tomorrow shall come’

Joseph John Racano

Part II, Chapter Six

Valley of the Dinosaurs

Back on board the Golden Sun in Mystery Lagoon
A skeleton crew kept watch for flares beneath a waning moon
Sinbad left them orders to release his brother’s camel
If the tide was low, a lighter ship would make the channel

While far across the placid water Sinbad and his men
Held themselves a wake in case they weren’t seen again
Two by two the crew set off to find ballooner’s treasure
Through an ancient valley full of dangers without measure

Soon they came upon an open clearing in the reeds
Marveling at plants with twelve-foot leaves and giant seeds
Passing by a bird nest, Sinbad’s men collected eggs
One fit to a backpack, they were murder on the legs

At the clearing’s edge, Sinbad signaled to stay back
Dinosaurs with arms like trees might startle and attack
Quietly the men did circle far and wide around
Often blending in or laying silent on the ground

One such brontosaurus creature did investigate
Boom-like neck came swinging over, plants was all he ate
Slow and steady 40 men were making for the plains
Hoping somewhere out there lay ballooner’s golden rains

Tattooed giant sprained an ankle stepping in a hole
Ten-foot in diameter, a footprint not a mole
Now the crew did rest, for none among them was a slave
And praise the god Poseidon, they did stumble on a cave!

Joseph John Racano

Part II, Chapter Seven

The Lost Treasure of Sinbad

One and by one the men entered the cave
I leave it to thee were they stupid or brave
Everywhere snails of ridiculous size
Stuck to the walls with adhesion of vise

Now all the men searched while holding their breath
Each nook and crag had its own form of death
Then came the long hoped-for squeal of delight
Sinbad and crew would be richer this night

Stuffed in a corner of shadow and mold
There sat a trunk full of diamonds and gold
Guarded by men who were now but bleached bones
Sinbad knew one as Thelonius Jones

'These were the men with whom I was marooned
They must have collected the gold from balloons
Gathered it here and then died with it too
Something prevented them hunting for food'

Then in an instant the answer was clear
Tyrannosaurus at cave did appear
Snapping his jaws at the mouth of the cave
Not one among them felt very brave

What a cruel sight it was for the good crew
Looking straight into his throat as if stew
They needed their captain to stop the attacks
Sinbad said, 'we’ll heave the chest with our backs’

They pushed with their legs, blocked the cave with the chest
No sooner done than 'twas eaten by Rex
Gulping it down with a single big swallow
Somehow their victory seemed a bit hollow

T-Rex now full, lumbered off to find sleep
Sinbad and men were now free to retreat
But their lust for the treasure had other ideas
Maybe the worst they had had for some years

Sinbad instructed his men to give chase
‘There goes our treasure, keep up with his pace!’
Suddenly none of the dinosaurs mattered
T-Rex came walking and all others scattered

Then mighty Sinbad lived up to his fame
Waving his arms calling monster by name
‘Dragon!’ he shouted and ran toward a ledge
T-Rex gave chase and fell over the edge

Joseph John Racano

Part II, Chapter Eight

Sinbad's Dragon

Sinbad’s crew looked o’er the cliff
and saw that monster good and stiff
At several thousand feet straight down
They’d have to take the long way ‘round

And so they trekked back through the valley
Yeoman keeping head count tally
Through the evening into day
Arriving finally at the cay

‘We’ve news of treasure,’ Sinbad said,
‘It’s in a monster cold and dead
But not to worry, I’ve a plan
We must set sail as fast we can’

And now they boarded skiff and scow
Returning to their sacred cow
Whose mast beneath that arch did scrape
And Golden Sun sailed ‘round the cape

Soon enow they saw the beast
Now providing quite a feast
Marinating in the sand
Towed by tail away from land

Through the night the sharks dug in
Sinbad’s men partook of gin
Watching by the light of moon
For treasure liberated soon

Sharks tore fifty-pound steaks free
All across Sargasso Sea
Circling as they did digest
Then back to work to free that chest

At the continental shelf
The treasure finally freed itself
Four miles down, sunk all the way
Much to ship and crew’s dismay

As a consolation prize
The skeleton caught many eyes
Sold before they set up camp
Kept secret was the magic lamp

The End

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/12/21/2020
Canvas Art by Roger Harris

                     next: Spacebox

---

Deep space travel was cold, boring and lonely, but on Beta Phi, it is our sworn duty to answer the call. In fact, on all planets outside Milky Way, such answers to the call are deeply hard-wired. Our scientists and researchers say this is because we never developed a cerebral cortex atop the medulla oblongata, as is the case on inner planets, which lay inside the galactic womb. There, the stardust is thick and warm, forming a cosmic maternity ward, if you will and the civilizations that arise can exhibit wildly reckless behavior.
Our brains had stayed largely reptilian, which cost us a bit in emotion, but also spared us the follies of inner-planet civilizations like the one now threatening the peace.
We stood waiting at the Phi portal in our redwear, ready for a long journey of the utmost importance. We had no idea it was going to be this big, and weren’t briefed until we were underway. My girl Sandrafive had made the long trip from our moon to Phi portal just for a chance to see me off and burst into tears as soon as our eyes met, though she tried to be brave. Our palms met on the glass, and we mouthed the words, “Go with luck”, to each other. It was the first time I had ever worn or been seen in redwear, the special travel suits reserved only for galactic emergencies and the deep-space travel they require. I was proud.
Suddenly, the floors vibrated, signaling to all it was time to board the starspear.
Fifteen days travel for Sandrafive, for 15 seconds of togetherness, and that, through a glass, darkly. I watched her out of the terminal, and boarded the starspear. My position was forward right, and I made my way through the fuselage. Like a giant squid, my chair signaled me with red flashing light. The closer I got, the faster the flashes became. When I sat down, the chair straps wrapped themselves jealously around me. The flashing stopped, and my seat released a pleasant aroma of Lilac, my favorite. I placed my palms flat on the armrests, and the chair administered a prescribed dose of mood enhancers that would see me to slumber for fourteen years. Considering the round trip, we would be traveling near lightspeed for almost thirty years. Sandrafive would age normally, and I not at all. It was for this reason I had chosen a girl so much my junior- in case this day might come. I surrendered to the onrushing wooziness, and entered a dreamstate netherworld, where time, space and intuition meld for a decade, squeezed down into a few seconds.
My eyes popped open sometime later as my chair began to release her protective grip. I curled my upper lip, pressing it against a silicone assembly which opened my observation membrane. And there she was- space. Black as pitch and cold as death, space somehow maintained a beautiful countenance.  Far off in the inky blackness, pinpoints of light emanated from the other starspears on the mission with us, each juxtaposed to perfectly encapsulate our precious cargo- the giant structure that would bring death to one world and salvation to many others. Made of nickel-iron and painted white against the stars, the gargantuan device resembled a bowling ball bag, replete with giant round magnets at its circumference. It was by changing and then reversing the polarity on these electromagnets our squadron of starspears was able to herd the huge beast along, using them like interstellar electric cattle prods.
The closer we got to space zero, the thicker the debris field became, and the disease of the target planet was apparent. Discarded space craft, satellites, radioactive bundles of space-garbage, and fossil fuel-generated space bubbles all formed an ominous mine field of danger to anyone on the open space highway. The Commodore gave orders for microspears to depart the mother spear. Our mission was to zap deep-space exploratory probes and vessels, and anything else that had its origin on the planet in question. No prisoners, no samples, no dialogue and no attempts at contact of any kind. This was a class O planet, the most dangerous type, and full containment was imperative. ‘O’ stood for ‘oil’, a type of propellant formed from dinosaurs, and used by all developing planets. But it is abused by a small minority of under-civilizations, whose political systems, for whatever reason, fail to allow for the periodic recalibration needed for the good of their own, as well as the galaxy. Judging from the size, toxicity and decay of the debris field this one was a doozy.
We banked away from the solar system ahead, homing in on tell-tale beacons from the planets most remote spacecraft. We dispatched them one at a time using radio waves to cook the occupants from the inside out.
Our job done, we circled back to observe the starspears as they worked their electromagnets in tandem, swinging the giant containment structure to bear.
As the planets hapless occupants bought and sold their own life support systems –a jungle for a soy farm, a redwood forest for a pool deck, ad infinitum- for the very last day, our job as Beta Phi, or ‘BP’, for short, was almost finished. We brought the giant encapsulation structure into place, half from the north, half from the south, and it slammed shut with the force of a solar oil blowout, non-sound reverberating to the edges of the galaxy.
Smoke, oil and soot continued to escape from the titanium seams, mute testimony to the reckless holes drilled through the now dying planets mantle. But we had obtained the 85% containment target, and so it was done.
We re-entered the starspears, where rapidly flashing chairs greeted us like wombs, wrapping their motherly arms around us, and we floated into a dream as we traveled, sea otters wrapped in kelp at a frothy cosmic shore. Threat contained, and slumber embraced, we were going home.


                                                                         Next:  Code Name: Time Chariot

---

Code Name- Time Chariot

The Tale of Kaleidoscope City
A Science Fiction Short Story
(comprised of seven narrative poems)
by Joseph John Racano

Table of Contents:
Part I……………………….Kaleidoscope City
Part II………………………The Raft
Part III……………………..Moonshot
Part IV……………………..One Luna Prime
Part V………………………Dramatic Ascension
Part VI……………………..Primordial Earth
Part VII…………………….The Fall of Man
Featuring Justin Nicholas Thyme, the hero
created by Joseph John Racano and seen in
the sci fi novella, Chronopolis, as well as in
Chronomenae- sequel to Chronopolis.
Also starring:
*Special Time Agent Infinity Staires
*The Family from the Future and
*Their cybernetic son
With special thanks to futuristic artist:
Robert Lorek and others!

(Code Name Time Chariot)

Part I

‘Kaleidoscope City’

We left the old Tesla parked out on the street
Now been afforded as part of the fleet
A new form departure from linear travel
We entered, strapped in and then watched time unravel

Chosen from many to pilot Time Chariot
My family and I felt like Judas Iscariot
Saviors of many or traitors, perhaps
Beating the buzzer of planetary collapse

Yesterday’s people, this afternoon’s light beams
Sizzling through chronons and tachyon light streams
Seeing the tears as they rolled up our cheeks
Snatching occasional time-portal peeks

Watching our timeline turn red and recede
Loosed from all boundaries and finally freed
Stars winking in and then soon winking out
Galaxies visibly spinning about

Shadowy nebulae, misty unveil
Turbulence crossing an asteroid tail
Lurching and pitching and passing a comet
Fumbling space-bag to use if you vomit

Now just as quick as the ride had begun
Slowly descending near one yellow sun
Into a billowy atmosphere cloud
Cotton-ball pillowy whole-planet shroud

Then came the clacking of metal on bricks
Monitor screening Time Chariot’s tricks
Came the sweet ringing of life-support bells
Pleasant assurance of no outside hells

‘Arrival complete’ spoke robotic commands
Now we stepped out of the hatch holding hands
Walking toward something so unrecognizable
Nothing we saw was remotely describable

Then from the chariot came a transmission
‘Earth has deceased, carry on with your mission’
It wasn’t familiar but yes it was pretty
And bravely we entered Kaleidoscope City

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano
Art: Robert Lorek

Code Name- Time Chariot

Kaleidoscope City, Part II

The Raft

We walked in together through a large portal gate
Where spherical violet sentries did wait
Crossing the floor from one tile to another
Each one a living cell inside a cover

Clatter of shoes echoed off giant walls
Made of some alloy for strength against falls
Etched in the metal complex hieroglyphics
Alien language precluding specifics

Everywhere sparkle-bots floated in air
Higher technology bright without glare
Somewhere our hosts understood our humanity
Fed us covertly with no need for vanity

Some kind of bubble with smoke in the center
Led us around to the hall we might enter
Some type of parlour gigantic in size
Colorful décor quite soft on the eyes

Soon we were contacted inside our minds
All of us smiled as we took seats and dined
Lost on a time-way these beings took pity
‘Welcome you are to Kaleidoscope City’

After regaining our bearings and strength
Knowledge poured in our cerebrums at length
Then we were floated up into a craft
‘The journey has started and this is your raft’

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/3/2021
Artwork: Robert Lorek

Code Name- Time Chariot

Part III, Moonshot

Kaleidoscope City, we’ll never forget you
The fate of a world may have changed when we met you
We don’t even know if you’re man or machine
But we’ll go where you sent us, there’s more to be seen

Somehow, we knew how to work the new craft
Even got silly and named it The Raft
Maybe we needed a break from our sorrow
The only five people who had a tomorrow

We found ourselves tapped into some type of memory
Subconscious learning was scraped in like emery
How it was planted is still hard to say
Maybe hard-wired in our DNA

Now we were coasting, no longer the harrow
Sideswiping atmospheres, a bright flaming arrow
Then like an elevator, plummeted down
Landed The Raft on a good solid ground

Not far away was the Earth in her doom
Now it was obvious, this was the Moon!
Something to teach us, is what I received
We got on our knees toward The Mother and grieved

After a second or minute or hours
Here came the Perseid Meteor showers
Some of them whizzed by so close we were choking
Then a two-mile-high door lifted open

Flasher alarm warned us back in the vehicle
Rolled us inside of the Moon- unbelievable
Here there were people- not robots or drones
Some of them looked like the one’s from back home

Now we could finally see it was true
The Moon was a satellite, replete with a crew
With all we had seen, none of us were surprised
We had been told many lies, I surmised

We were approached by an admiral in uniform
Gave me a chart of Kaleidoscope cuneiform
‘Take this in case you go back to the city
That’s some handsome craft, and their language is pretty’

Forgive me- I’m Justin Nicholas Thyme
I welcome your family to One-Luna-Prime
Your quarters are ready and dinner’s at eight
That is of course, Moon time, you won’t have to wait’

So this was the famed Justin Nicholas Thyme
A dime on a dollar, the Moon has no crime
I thought to myself as I stepped back inside
We needed some sleep, it had been a long ride

After a shower and eating like pigs
We lay in our newly bestowed-upon digs
It felt good to be near the place of our birth
But we had to avoid looking up at the Earth

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/3/2021

Code Name- Time Chariot

Part IV, One Luna Prime

(Featuring the action hero Justin Nicholas Thyme, from 'Chronopolis')

Good morning and welcome to One Luna Prime
This is Infinity, I’m Justin Thyme
I trust you have rested and broken your fast
We hope you’ll indulge us, we’ve questions to ask

Indeed Mr. Thyme, reputation precedes you
If you’re on the Moon I’m sure that it needs you
We’re happy to answer what questions you have
In our current state it may work as a salve

Thank you, said Justin, the question I’m seeing
Is who and what were they, did you see a being?
I’m afraid not, Mr. Thyme, not a one
All I remember is they took our son

When they returned him he was a changed boy
That didn’t matter, he still is our joy
Came back cybernetic part boy and machine
He merely thinks and it’s up on the screen

Just then the little boy chuckled and smiled
Quite reassuring the laugh of a child
Sure enough there were his thoughts on the monitor
One Luna Prime screen stretched one square kilometer

All of the workers stared up at the screen
Giant equations as ne’er before seen
Justin plugged in the computers for help
These were the building block atoms for kelp

Set to record, Justin gave the command
Then a thumbs up from his massive right hand
Up on the screen the equations had spread
Science for bringing back life to the dead

Kaleidoscope City had turned out to be
The cambium layer of the Universe Tree
And with these equations could be a rebirth
Of all precious species we lost back on Earth

Then the poor child fell in Justin’s arms
Now he must rest so to come to no harms
All of the science was new to the team
Sent from the future by way of timestream

With all due respect, we were promised a tour
Justin then ordered, Moonshuttle for four!’
One Luna Prime tours took more than a day
Leaving some time for the child to play

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/4.2021

Code Name- Time Chariot

Part V, Dramatic Ascension

Leaving the crew to decipher equations
Justin proposed they take working vacations
Time travel might help us, said the explorer
Reconstitute the Earth’s fauna and flora

No sooner said than the Raft began glowing
An obvious link with the future was flowing
Uplink to data computers held steady
As Justin, Infinity and family got ready

Countdown began and was broadcast aloud
Time portal waited in nebulous cloud
First they would travel in linear fashion
Then through the Timeway, Infinity’s passion

Godspeed, they heard as the Raft energized
The craft so advanced it had Justin surprised
Steeped in blue lights, the design grandiose
Then off with a streak like the chariot of Helios

Linear travel the worst of it all
Suffering bodies pressed hard to the wall
It feels like my eyeballs are both being squeezed
Commented Justin as his vocal chords wheezed

In no time at all they arrived at the portal
Where time travel makes one an instant immortal
Then all the cosmos became two dimensional
So did the craft, Justin thought this intentional

White turned to black and the black turned to white
Cosmic inversion of forever night
Inside The Raft new reality made
Luminous light-pulsing diode cascade

Even from here in a morphing machine
Words from their son splashed across the ship screen
Wherever you are and wherever you go
We’re always in reach via energy flow

Now came the change they had wanted to see
Outside the chamber the stars were set free
They landed with all back in proper dimension
The world outside proof of dramatic ascension

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/4/2021

Code Name- Time Chariot

Part VI, Primordial Earth

The timeway led everywhere once you were in it
Crossing the universe took but a minute
Just where and when they were at was a mystery
Infinite choices could mean anywhere in history

Justin suspected they stopped here for fuel
Propulsion was needed no matter the tool
He ruled out reactors, starlight and plutonium
The ship came to find and then mine pure chrononium

This was a system completely advanced
They stared at the view-screen where strange symbols danced
As per translation they came here to mine
They came for the chronons- the ship ran on time!

Appendages sprouted from the sides of the fuselage
Neatly concealed to prevent wear and sabotage
Fully extended the ends pointed down
Sinking pinwheel apparatus in ground

Up on the screen audio-visual narration
Offered them insight on the delicate operation
Organic tubes at the subatomic level
Shaving off chronons with special time-bevel

Then processed by use of molecular changer
And stored in a super-cooled anti matter chamber
After the chambers were cool and complete
The Raft was engaged and it lifted its feet

Now they were once again streaking through time
Cloaking device wiped the hull clean of slime
Kaleidoscope City provided the spores
That powered the cloak using chromatophores

Very soon after they touched down again
They didn’t know where and they didn’t know when
But this time the screen gave a stunning tutorial;
This was the Earth when it still was primordial

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/1/5/2021

Code Name- Time Chariot

Part VII, The Fall of Man

Here we were on Planet Earth
Reveling in mankind’s dearth
The crew got out and right to work
Ah, the smell of pristine dirt

We planted seeds of education
Among the still sparse population
We had a plan that went like this;
Prevent the great apocalypse

Compose a message, store in ground
In such a way as would be found
It sounded easy but it wasn’t
Ways to fail we found a dozen

Stored it first inside a hollow
Earthquake caused the ground to swallow
Then inside a smoking hill
Huge eruption, magma spill

Then amid the esoterica
Found success in South America
Our laser-carved and future messages
Were placed in pointed Mayan vestiges

And none among the native people
Stopped us as we climbed their steeple
And later found against all odds
We wound up being revered as gods

We shot The Raft into the timeway
Hopeful we averted doomsday
While far below they danced and chanted
But would our message be recanted?

The spinning craft engulfed in time
Our son watched from One Luna Prime
And we'll keep doing all we can
To override the fall of man

Joseph John Racano

The End

©@JosephJohnRacano/1/5/2021