Lost Highway

Lost Highway

The convention was over, the road home was long
The radio garbled an old country song
And speaking of country, this highway was rural
With so many stars the sky looked like a mural

My eyelids grew heavy, I had to pull over
Got out, stretched my legs in a soft field of clover
I opened the thermos and drank the last coffee
That’s when a green and blue light above caught me

Hon, get me my glasses, get back in the car
I don’t like the look of that weird looking star
It could be a plane or maybe it’s Venus
Then it came closer, I knew it had seen us

Row after row of blue lights and bright windows
Making no sound as it moved like the wind blows
My lady was trembling and I took her hand
That’s when the huge metal craft came to land

I felt myself floating, my legs turned to butter
Dear, come inside, said my wife with a shudder
Then they surrounded me, I watched them scurry
Just wait right here, I said, try not to worry

Up to the spaceship no need for a staircase
I was a species of interest to their race
Eye to eye contact I made with the mantis
‘We aren’t from Earth, but our base is Atlantis’

Why do I hear you, you’re inside my head
‘We are your parents, from us you were bred’
Time is of essence soon Earth will see famine
Lay on the table, we need to examine

I was afraid but I tried to be stoic
The voice in my head said be calm and heroic
You may not remember but we’ve met before
Then they released me to float out the door

Back in the car was my wife unaware
What in the world were you doing out there?
Sorry my darling but I had to go
Drank too much coffee, right through me, you know

Put in the keys the car started right up
Dumped out the coffee now cold in my cup
Back on the highway we drove through the night
Except for the implants I guess we’re alright

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/7/2021

Lost Highway, Redux

The miles and markers kept passing us by
Soon came another strange light in the sky
This one had violet, amber and green
Got a good look it was quite a machine

All of its underside covered with tech
Not a square inch of relief, not a spec
Then came the humming a very low sound
Empty rest area there it set down

For no rhyme or reason I pulled in the car
Perhaps for a glimpse of this runaway star
Just before morning as if right on cue
A door opened out popped an alien crew

Eight little people and most of them gray
One of them taller who kept them at bay
They formed a tight circle and held stringy hands
Tilted their heads back blew bright smoke ring bands

Out from the tree tops flew thousands of bats
They zoomed through the smoke rings gone this way and that
The tall in charge alien broke out some crackers
Feeding the now glowing bats become snackers

That’s when a siren began a low growl
There in the distance approached something foul
All of the aliens rushed back on board
Took off avoiding a new alien horde

This craft was different, and not of this time
Perhaps a time-fugitive fleeing some crime
More like a jelly fish deep in a chasm
Not made of metal but lit protoplasm

Now little beams did from door disembark
I stood by thinking this must be the Arc
Come for to spirit us off from the past
Adam and Eve so the humans could last

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/8/2021

Lost Highway, the Early Encounters

It started in upstate Long Island New York
Two girls and a boy watching ‘Mindy and Mork’
Outside the house hanging out on the porch
Three little kids and a robot named Gort

None of us knew that our UFO toy
Given to us by a little green boy
Was actually factually from outer space
Here to check up on the whole human race

Somehow we knew Gort would do us no harm
But mama came out and set off the alarm
The robot took off with the spaceship and crew
And we were all grounded a Summer or two

They all moved away except mama and me
She bought me a telescope so I could see
All of the stars seemed to live on my roof
So I bought a camera to capture the proof

I sat in my room and I turned off the light
But dozed off to sleep until later that night
Out on the roof came a tap on the pane
I just assumed it was only the rain

Then came the beeping and other strange sound
Stuck my head out, started looking around
I saw a big alien like forty feet tall
He said to be careful, make sure you don’t fall

‘Where’s your computer,’ he asked with weird clicks
‘Go bring it out here, I’ll teach you some tricks’
And every night he would come back around
Teaching me math that was really profound

All were surprised how I excelled in school
Mom was so happy she bought me a pool
The alien left and he said, ‘I’ll be back-
I’m leaving Gort with you to keep you on track’

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/8/2021

Lost Highway, Galaxy Tour

The craft hung above us that dark lonely night
Sprinkling our car with a shower of light
But not like the light from a lamp on a table
This more like bubbles and very unstable

Swirling around in a whirling cascade
A tinkling of glass was the sound that it made
Little light bubbles that stuck to your hands
Whisked us away to strange planets and lands

All of the fabric of space-time was bent
Multiple doorways to go where you’re sent
One doorway led to an indigo planet
Two hundred mile tall jellyfish ran it

They sent us a message inside of our brains
‘Look at our oceans of indigo rains
Bathe in their waters and you will grow younger
Never feel pain or experience hunger’

Up by the arms we were carried by bubbles
Some of us stayed to be rid of our troubles
I chose to finish the galaxy tour
And said my goodbyes to this planet azure

Now in a moment the time-craft did zoom
Slicing past moons like a witch on her broom
All began fading, our matter moved on
We kept pixelating until we were gone

Then we arrived at the Planet Anemone
Where color was king, monoculture the enemy
Where scarlet-red Rubicons jumped on their beds
Nowhere has ever existed more reds

Once again bubbles came sprinkling down
Some on my head formed a red-ruby crown
Everyone laughed, but I wore it proudly
We boarded the ship and it took off quite loudly

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/9/2021

Lost Highway, Planned Planethood

Now the time-craft took us deep into space
Pausing in such a mysterious place
For this was a fill-up to gather more bubbles
And up from below they came streaming in doubles

Some alien race had a spaceman positioned
Poking his head through a time-space partition
He held by the stem an incredible circle
Blowing out bubbles in red blue and purple

They passed by our portholes providing close looks
At new tiny planets like those seen in books!
Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune with stripes
Venus and others, all kinds and all types

This seemed amazing to all on the craft
Each one an island at sea on a raft
An archipelago, a one-of-a-kind
As were the neurons at work in my mind

This was the reason the time-craft had paused
A teachable moment on universe laws
So as below it is said, as above
This was how aliens showed us their love

Then we were off once again to explore
One of those bubbles got stuck in the door
I volunteered for the rescue and spacewalk
Planning the mission on chalkboard and space chalk

Out of the portal I floated untethered
Wearing a time suit a bit old and weathered
Carrying under my arm an old spray can
In case of emergency get-home-I-still-can

And wouldn’t you know it, that can came in handy
The spacewalk cut short by a bottle of brandy
Floating around in the middle of space
Nowhere was safe from the junk of our race

Once back inside I slipped out of the time suit
Then a quick shower to detox the time boots
Sat in my seat and let back the recliner
Ate the small meal they served on the time liner

Off at just under the speed of a light beam
Towing behind us an alien airstream
Bubbles went spinning as if in a blender
More crazy planets next on the agenda

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/9/2021

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Lost Highway, Fateful Night

So let’s take it back to that first fateful night
I was driving the grapevine the moon full and bright
Hugging the curves, road was icy and slick
I needed a downshift and needed it quick

The car began spinning near out of control
I took out a guardrail and started to roll
Balanced precariously, edge of a cliff
Someone with smelling salts gave me a whiff

Opened my eyes and I shook out the fog
Found myself staring at some kind of frog
Great big weird eyes and the skin tone was green
Took me aboard a balloon submarine

Sixty feet long with a lit-up inside
Some kind of hospital, I thought I died
That’s when I found myself flat on my back
Tried to cry out but my voice only cracked

Laid there surrounded by little green men
One held a notebook and gave me a pen
Please sign your name said the voice in my brain
Maybe a leprechaun? No, that’s insane

I signed with my right hand that’s all I could move
Then I was probed with a long silver tube
I thought it was strange to give informed consent
Red tape just followed wherever you went

In walked a woman, a tall robust blonde
Started massaging me right on the wand
After the sample she came to collect
She turned back into some kind of insect

Next thing I knew I was back at the scene
Looking around me for anyone green
Got in the car and drove off in the night
All the way home suspicious of light

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/9/2021

Lost Highway, Planet Cauliflower

Jumping back into the space-time continuum
We searched more planets and let’s get right into ‘em
One was the beautiful Planet Cauliflower
Grew ever more spongy with every rain shower

The surface was skin as when viewed microscopic
Atmosphere challenged but let’s stay on topic
Small population who once every hour
Bounced between crest to the next cauliflower

Rooted in skin cells were stalks of spaghetti
Where colorful cambium stood at the ready
Sweet-scented caramel hung in the air
Too high in sugar but I didn’t care

Watching the planet mom nursing its children
Made us all wonder why salad chefs kill them
Answer provided by sun shower’s blessing
Rain was made up of an herb salad dressing

Back in the time-craft we seated ourselves
Munching on broccoli cooked by space elves
Who worked in the kitchens of time-craft like these
Foods brought from home kept us free of disease

Off did we rocket, the thrusters engaged
I never looked back but could still smell the sage
Hostess began serving meals up in front
Tonight it was cauliflower, would be all month

Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/2/10/2021