Poetry
Plight of the Wiggling Worm
Know ye the plight of unfortunate worm
Threatened demise before living full term
Hooked through the gullet and dipped in the drink
Lower and lower the Earthworm did sink
All became suddenly cloudy and wet
As far from warm soil as Earthworm could get
But who out there cared for the plight of invertebrate
No fancy feathers or colors to fascinate
Then from the distant green murk and the gloom
In swam his Mermaid salvation from doom
Lace fins and fineness, heart filled with kindness
She undeterred by the surface men’s blindness
‘There,’ said the siren, her words wrapped in bubbles
‘Let me unhook you from all of your troubles’
She took him back home where the wiggling-worms play
And spat in the fisherman’s eye on the way
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/09/2020
Art: Pygar
Know ye the plight of unfortunate worm
Threatened demise before living full term
Hooked through the gullet and dipped in the drink
Lower and lower the Earthworm did sink
All became suddenly cloudy and wet
As far from warm soil as Earthworm could get
But who out there cared for the plight of invertebrate
No fancy feathers or colors to fascinate
Then from the distant green murk and the gloom
In swam his Mermaid salvation from doom
Lace fins and fineness, heart filled with kindness
She undeterred by the surface men’s blindness
‘There,’ said the siren, her words wrapped in bubbles
‘Let me unhook you from all of your troubles’
She took him back home where the wiggling-worms play
And spat in the fisherman’s eye on the way
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/09/09/2020
Art: Pygar
Lady in the Flame
Forgive me I don’t mean to be so intrusive
But surely in life there are none so elusive
At foot of your candle I bathe in your heat
Once confirmed bachelor now so incomplete
Watching your pole-dance come slowly alive
Gracefully round candle’s wick do you writhe
Scoffing at dollars they burn at your touch
Young tender hearts turn to ashes and such
Here in the shadows I sit in your lair
Watching the sparks from your long plasma hair
All that you are is what all men desire
Riding the wick like a five-alarm fire
Then it all ends with a cool puff of smoke
Out in the darkness I sip rum and coke
Someone behind gives my shoulder a tap-
And to my surprise she comes sit on my lap!
Joseph John Racano
Forgive me I don’t mean to be so intrusive
But surely in life there are none so elusive
At foot of your candle I bathe in your heat
Once confirmed bachelor now so incomplete
Watching your pole-dance come slowly alive
Gracefully round candle’s wick do you writhe
Scoffing at dollars they burn at your touch
Young tender hearts turn to ashes and such
Here in the shadows I sit in your lair
Watching the sparks from your long plasma hair
All that you are is what all men desire
Riding the wick like a five-alarm fire
Then it all ends with a cool puff of smoke
Out in the darkness I sip rum and coke
Someone behind gives my shoulder a tap-
And to my surprise she comes sit on my lap!
Joseph John Racano
Dancing Birds
Out among the grasses
I saw the Dancing Birds
Snowy ballerinas
defying all my words
Ghostly apparitions
whose sweep of graceful wings
held me rapt as they flapped
to the song a wetland sings
One wing up, one wing down
two steps back and turn around
now, fly away- but not too far
so partner knows just where you are
You are the Dancing Birds
The tall white Dancing Birds
The males in white tuxedos
bowed with handsome grace
to lady birds with feathered caps
that obscured their face
Necks entwined like serpents
two hearts beat as one
cheek to cheek and beak to beak
until the dance was done
One wing up, one wing down
two steps back, and turn around
Now fly away, but not too far
so partner knows just where you are
You are the Dancing Birds
the graceful Dancing Birds
Snow-white Dancing Birds
The lovely Dancing Birds
Joseph John Racano
Out among the grasses
I saw the Dancing Birds
Snowy ballerinas
defying all my words
Ghostly apparitions
whose sweep of graceful wings
held me rapt as they flapped
to the song a wetland sings
One wing up, one wing down
two steps back and turn around
now, fly away- but not too far
so partner knows just where you are
You are the Dancing Birds
The tall white Dancing Birds
The males in white tuxedos
bowed with handsome grace
to lady birds with feathered caps
that obscured their face
Necks entwined like serpents
two hearts beat as one
cheek to cheek and beak to beak
until the dance was done
One wing up, one wing down
two steps back, and turn around
Now fly away, but not too far
so partner knows just where you are
You are the Dancing Birds
the graceful Dancing Birds
Snow-white Dancing Birds
The lovely Dancing Birds
Joseph John Racano
|
Poetry is Power
Exit the kings and enter the poets
Scribe for musicians their beautiful notes
Shelter the meek with your blanket of words
Conjure us trees for the sake of the birds
Banish the gray from a storm in the sky
Show it as blue through a poet’s keen eye
In with the kindness and out with the scorn
Sprouts in the garden, a jungle is born
With only four words you can take down the dam
Returning the life-giving river to land
In with the quill and out with the arrow
Exit the hawk and in flies the sparrow
Fare thee well kings let them march off to war
Flowers will grow atop their killing floor
Kingdoms will ransom and castles will crumble
But poems live on in the hearts of the humble
Joseph John Racano
Copyright@JosephJohnRacano/01/25/2020
Exit the kings and enter the poets
Scribe for musicians their beautiful notes
Shelter the meek with your blanket of words
Conjure us trees for the sake of the birds
Banish the gray from a storm in the sky
Show it as blue through a poet’s keen eye
In with the kindness and out with the scorn
Sprouts in the garden, a jungle is born
With only four words you can take down the dam
Returning the life-giving river to land
In with the quill and out with the arrow
Exit the hawk and in flies the sparrow
Fare thee well kings let them march off to war
Flowers will grow atop their killing floor
Kingdoms will ransom and castles will crumble
But poems live on in the hearts of the humble
Joseph John Racano
Copyright@JosephJohnRacano/01/25/2020
Grandfather Willow
Grandfather Willow grew in a bog
Surrounded by damsel fly rainbow and frog
He shaded the meadow, limb leaf and bark
The song of the Blackbird was his until dark
The sun kept him warm, the rain showered and fair
Cattails did his toenails, the wind combed his hair
Hot was the summer, dry was the fall
Winter brought showers- he grew very tall
When a 100-year flood finally swept him away,
He was seen floating off saying, ‘Have a nice day!’
Joseph John Racano
Grandfather Willow grew in a bog
Surrounded by damsel fly rainbow and frog
He shaded the meadow, limb leaf and bark
The song of the Blackbird was his until dark
The sun kept him warm, the rain showered and fair
Cattails did his toenails, the wind combed his hair
Hot was the summer, dry was the fall
Winter brought showers- he grew very tall
When a 100-year flood finally swept him away,
He was seen floating off saying, ‘Have a nice day!’
Joseph John Racano
The Squeezel
Deep in the woods
I met with a Squeezel
Bounced like a squirrel
And shaped like a weasel
Spoke with a chit
Laughed with a chatter
Personality split
Mad as a hatter
I and my dog
Behind the old tree
A view of the Squeezel
Was quite plain to see
Up on his head
Two tree-like protrusions
That blended so well
They looked like illusions
The fur on his back
Was that of an otter
He lived in the part
Where the forest was hotter
Many a time
I went back to see him
Thinking his kind
Could be in a museum
With spots on his coat
Half leopard half measle
I came to dote
On this creature the Squeezel
Not sure my fellow men
Would understand him
I kept him a secret
Lest some catch and brand him
And lock him in irons
For all of his days
Sad, but my people
Treat creatures these ways
Best that the Squeezel
Stay will o' the wisp
Where tree trunks are mossy
And forest air crisp
Joseph John Racano
December 28, 2019
Artwork: Under the Gaze of the Glorious; Andy Kehoe Art—Oil on wood ( 2011)
Deep in the woods
I met with a Squeezel
Bounced like a squirrel
And shaped like a weasel
Spoke with a chit
Laughed with a chatter
Personality split
Mad as a hatter
I and my dog
Behind the old tree
A view of the Squeezel
Was quite plain to see
Up on his head
Two tree-like protrusions
That blended so well
They looked like illusions
The fur on his back
Was that of an otter
He lived in the part
Where the forest was hotter
Many a time
I went back to see him
Thinking his kind
Could be in a museum
With spots on his coat
Half leopard half measle
I came to dote
On this creature the Squeezel
Not sure my fellow men
Would understand him
I kept him a secret
Lest some catch and brand him
And lock him in irons
For all of his days
Sad, but my people
Treat creatures these ways
Best that the Squeezel
Stay will o' the wisp
Where tree trunks are mossy
And forest air crisp
Joseph John Racano
December 28, 2019
Artwork: Under the Gaze of the Glorious; Andy Kehoe Art—Oil on wood ( 2011)
Seminar with the Avatar
The Bus Stop
A Potpourri of people lined up for the bus
We had no idea why they’d chosen us
There were natives and tribesmen, lawyers and loggers
Hermits and handymen, Jesuits and joggers
The strange looking soldier-like men in tall boots
Handed out billowy Velcro-snap suits
Each of them sported a breast pocket patch
That showed when the pocket was closed with its latch
Some kind of design embroidered in detail
Nothing you’d buy if you had to pay retail
Depicting a screen on a wall in a hut
It must have had meaning, but who could say what
With barely the time to slip into our suits
before we departed for unknown pursuits
I drank it all in as I climbed on the rig
Never had ever I seen one so big
The huge darkened windows, the streamlines of chrome
Not yet aboard, I already missed home
Whatever this was, it was over my head
I plopped in my seat with a feeling of dread
The Journey
My chair on the bus matched the billowy suit
The bus made no noise and it didn’t pollute
We rose in the air without making a sound
and grasped at our seats as the bus left the ground
It took only seconds to pass through the moon
-a portal that looked like a spinning typhoon
We exited that into colors so furious
we shut just one eye (we were all too darn curious)
Watching ourselves from a distance in space
Two of each person met up face to face
Some kind of inversion disturbing the time
The science was weird but the journey sublime
I looked out the window and off to my right
saw stars peeking out of the forever night
The left was the aisle where husband and wife
sat frightened with others from all walks of life
Above us a portal administered gas
It spread through the cabin and calmed us down fast
The mist floating down as we floated ahead
Behind us was blue and in front infra red
It may have been years but it passed in a flash
We came to our senses in time for a splash
Came a voice from the cockpit, “We’re halfway through toil-
or, in your home language, we’ve just hit peak oil”
And yes, I could see all the stars slowing down
Outside the retros were whirring with sound
Ahead was what looked like a mixing of liquids
As old as the stars, or in Latin, antiquus
The Landing
We fell in its midst like an egg into jello
The doors popped right open as if to say ‘hello’
We all were directed to exit the craft
where luminous ladies positioned a raft
The bus had been large, there were ten rafts in all
each drifted over a Niagara Fall
Down we went spiraling end over end
Stopped on a landing, then falling again
Finally we settled on top of a river
If white water takes, then this one was a giver
Everything calm in a crystalline blue
we entered a cavern and switched to canoe
We soon had no water, caught up in a shortage
We carried canoes on our heads for the portage
finally reaching a temple of gold
where many a pauper and prince left their soul
The Oracle
We feasted on mangos bananas and nuts
Grass skirted women showed us to our huts
And there on the walls were the writings of Id
You couldn’t erase them, and so no one did
You asked it a question, the wall did the rest
Of all the known oracles, this was the best
“Why was I born?” was the first thing I said
‘To feel what you’re feeling’ came written in red
“Is that why you brought me?” I queried right back
“Indeed” came the answer, “Now lie on your back”
Obeying the words, I lay flat on the bed
where up on the ceiling, a video fed
It showed every image from man’s distant dawn
To war and pollution, how far it’s all gone
I saw the gulf gusher and spears pierced my heart
A fawn with her doe made me laugh with a start
A mushroom cloud loomed over several atolls
My body responded with bullet-like holes
With every clear image my heart skipped a beat
I wanted to run but could not feel my feet
I heard someone cry from one hut to another
The sound of a man crying out for his mother
When the video ended the wall wrote in pen
‘Your time here is done; or else watch it again’
“I don’t understand, and I’ve come all this way-
Is there anything else you can teach me today?”
‘Good was the Earth before mankind arrived
It is not up to me how you all live your lives.’
The wall started fading as some unseen hand
wrote, ‘Who ever told you that you’d understand?’
Out of the cavern and back to the rafts
Onto the river of summertime drafts
Up spun the falls in a shower of foam
We boarded the bus to the place we call home
Often at night when the stars are a-twinkle
I dream of that space time continuum wrinkle
And wonder if someday the bus will return
I hope so, for I still have so much to learn
Joseph John Racano
The Bus Stop
A Potpourri of people lined up for the bus
We had no idea why they’d chosen us
There were natives and tribesmen, lawyers and loggers
Hermits and handymen, Jesuits and joggers
The strange looking soldier-like men in tall boots
Handed out billowy Velcro-snap suits
Each of them sported a breast pocket patch
That showed when the pocket was closed with its latch
Some kind of design embroidered in detail
Nothing you’d buy if you had to pay retail
Depicting a screen on a wall in a hut
It must have had meaning, but who could say what
With barely the time to slip into our suits
before we departed for unknown pursuits
I drank it all in as I climbed on the rig
Never had ever I seen one so big
The huge darkened windows, the streamlines of chrome
Not yet aboard, I already missed home
Whatever this was, it was over my head
I plopped in my seat with a feeling of dread
The Journey
My chair on the bus matched the billowy suit
The bus made no noise and it didn’t pollute
We rose in the air without making a sound
and grasped at our seats as the bus left the ground
It took only seconds to pass through the moon
-a portal that looked like a spinning typhoon
We exited that into colors so furious
we shut just one eye (we were all too darn curious)
Watching ourselves from a distance in space
Two of each person met up face to face
Some kind of inversion disturbing the time
The science was weird but the journey sublime
I looked out the window and off to my right
saw stars peeking out of the forever night
The left was the aisle where husband and wife
sat frightened with others from all walks of life
Above us a portal administered gas
It spread through the cabin and calmed us down fast
The mist floating down as we floated ahead
Behind us was blue and in front infra red
It may have been years but it passed in a flash
We came to our senses in time for a splash
Came a voice from the cockpit, “We’re halfway through toil-
or, in your home language, we’ve just hit peak oil”
And yes, I could see all the stars slowing down
Outside the retros were whirring with sound
Ahead was what looked like a mixing of liquids
As old as the stars, or in Latin, antiquus
The Landing
We fell in its midst like an egg into jello
The doors popped right open as if to say ‘hello’
We all were directed to exit the craft
where luminous ladies positioned a raft
The bus had been large, there were ten rafts in all
each drifted over a Niagara Fall
Down we went spiraling end over end
Stopped on a landing, then falling again
Finally we settled on top of a river
If white water takes, then this one was a giver
Everything calm in a crystalline blue
we entered a cavern and switched to canoe
We soon had no water, caught up in a shortage
We carried canoes on our heads for the portage
finally reaching a temple of gold
where many a pauper and prince left their soul
The Oracle
We feasted on mangos bananas and nuts
Grass skirted women showed us to our huts
And there on the walls were the writings of Id
You couldn’t erase them, and so no one did
You asked it a question, the wall did the rest
Of all the known oracles, this was the best
“Why was I born?” was the first thing I said
‘To feel what you’re feeling’ came written in red
“Is that why you brought me?” I queried right back
“Indeed” came the answer, “Now lie on your back”
Obeying the words, I lay flat on the bed
where up on the ceiling, a video fed
It showed every image from man’s distant dawn
To war and pollution, how far it’s all gone
I saw the gulf gusher and spears pierced my heart
A fawn with her doe made me laugh with a start
A mushroom cloud loomed over several atolls
My body responded with bullet-like holes
With every clear image my heart skipped a beat
I wanted to run but could not feel my feet
I heard someone cry from one hut to another
The sound of a man crying out for his mother
When the video ended the wall wrote in pen
‘Your time here is done; or else watch it again’
“I don’t understand, and I’ve come all this way-
Is there anything else you can teach me today?”
‘Good was the Earth before mankind arrived
It is not up to me how you all live your lives.’
The wall started fading as some unseen hand
wrote, ‘Who ever told you that you’d understand?’
Out of the cavern and back to the rafts
Onto the river of summertime drafts
Up spun the falls in a shower of foam
We boarded the bus to the place we call home
Often at night when the stars are a-twinkle
I dream of that space time continuum wrinkle
And wonder if someday the bus will return
I hope so, for I still have so much to learn
Joseph John Racano
The Princess and the Whale
On a beautiful evening a long time ago
a princess set sail as the wind set to blow
At first it was easy, subtropical breezy
then wham, it began to start making her queasy
The sea became rough and she'd soon had enough
as it tossed her right out of the boat with her stuff
The next thing she knew she was miles off peru
in a lifeboat for one that she wished had held two
She drifted for days contemplating her ways
but she had no regrets, she'd been kind all her days
Things became worse when she started to thirst
so she drank the salt water, her lungs set to burst
And just when all hope seemed to sink like a rock
something below her had started to knock
She dragged herself up and looked over the side
and there in the water a whale did reside!
'Thank goodness' she cried, 'are you rescuing me?'
But the whale remained silent, a mute of the sea
He arched up his back, put his dorsal to keel
'You're pushing me home now, is that what I feel?'
For two days and nights the whale stayed by her side
Pushing by day, with the outgoing tide
The mood became tense as the princess grew weak
At times all was lost and was seeming quite bleak
On the third day the princess was startled awake
by the crunchy-crush sound only beach sand can make
When she opened her eyes, she was safe on the shore
Off swam the whale, she would see him no more
The kingdom rejoiced the return of their gem
But she'd have none of it- 'We owe it to them'
She pointed her finger far out to the sea
and then every year, held a whale jamboree
The princess grew old and the throne fell apart
But never the gratitude held in her heart
On the night when the sea angels took her away
Her whale waited there at the mouth of the bay
Joseph John Racano
On a beautiful evening a long time ago
a princess set sail as the wind set to blow
At first it was easy, subtropical breezy
then wham, it began to start making her queasy
The sea became rough and she'd soon had enough
as it tossed her right out of the boat with her stuff
The next thing she knew she was miles off peru
in a lifeboat for one that she wished had held two
She drifted for days contemplating her ways
but she had no regrets, she'd been kind all her days
Things became worse when she started to thirst
so she drank the salt water, her lungs set to burst
And just when all hope seemed to sink like a rock
something below her had started to knock
She dragged herself up and looked over the side
and there in the water a whale did reside!
'Thank goodness' she cried, 'are you rescuing me?'
But the whale remained silent, a mute of the sea
He arched up his back, put his dorsal to keel
'You're pushing me home now, is that what I feel?'
For two days and nights the whale stayed by her side
Pushing by day, with the outgoing tide
The mood became tense as the princess grew weak
At times all was lost and was seeming quite bleak
On the third day the princess was startled awake
by the crunchy-crush sound only beach sand can make
When she opened her eyes, she was safe on the shore
Off swam the whale, she would see him no more
The kingdom rejoiced the return of their gem
But she'd have none of it- 'We owe it to them'
She pointed her finger far out to the sea
and then every year, held a whale jamboree
The princess grew old and the throne fell apart
But never the gratitude held in her heart
On the night when the sea angels took her away
Her whale waited there at the mouth of the bay
Joseph John Racano
Renaissance Man
Artist and easel a lost soul's retrieval
Kaleidoscope colors vanquishing evil
Acrylic and liquidy link to antiquity
Somehow becoming the colors that stick to me
Dropping a paintbrush that misses the rug
Thank you drop cloth let me give you a hug
Yellow and blue because that's what it had to be
Holding my breath to avoid a catastrophy
Once out of line would ruin all my intention
How would that look if the world pays attention
Now finish with gusto and a steady good hand
By now you must know, I'm a Renaissance man
Joseph John Racano
Artist and easel a lost soul's retrieval
Kaleidoscope colors vanquishing evil
Acrylic and liquidy link to antiquity
Somehow becoming the colors that stick to me
Dropping a paintbrush that misses the rug
Thank you drop cloth let me give you a hug
Yellow and blue because that's what it had to be
Holding my breath to avoid a catastrophy
Once out of line would ruin all my intention
How would that look if the world pays attention
Now finish with gusto and a steady good hand
By now you must know, I'm a Renaissance man
Joseph John Racano
Designer Fish
Once upon a time, I made a wish
for a great big pond with 'designer fish'
with golden scales, triple tails
and holes that let them spout like whales
platinum gills, ruby lips
and fancy fins with topaz tips
They had no feet for designer shoes
but they blew square bubbles when they sang the blues
No feet=no shoes= no need for laces
they could swim in the sink but kept smashing their faces
The bathtub was better, but better wasn't best
so they jumped to the pond by inflating their chest
Exhaling with force determined their course
To call back they used code that was something like morse
"It's your turn, so do it- now, don't you be scared"
"It's easy", I said, "look- that guppy just dared!"
"Get going! I said, "Here, I'll give you a push!"
"Don't touch me!", he yelled, and exhaled with a 'whoosh'!
The pond was soon filled, fish were swimming a runway
The show ran all weekend, a winner picked sunday
The Jellyfish flowed, the Puffer fish blowed
The Minnows held finals inside a commode
The bigger fish jumped to a lake at the park-
believe me, they had to- the judge was a shark!
But just as the winner was about to be announced,
it sounded like flushing, and everything bounced
It turned out that no one had granted my wish
and so ended my days of designer fish!
Joseph John Racano
Once upon a time, I made a wish
for a great big pond with 'designer fish'
with golden scales, triple tails
and holes that let them spout like whales
platinum gills, ruby lips
and fancy fins with topaz tips
They had no feet for designer shoes
but they blew square bubbles when they sang the blues
No feet=no shoes= no need for laces
they could swim in the sink but kept smashing their faces
The bathtub was better, but better wasn't best
so they jumped to the pond by inflating their chest
Exhaling with force determined their course
To call back they used code that was something like morse
"It's your turn, so do it- now, don't you be scared"
"It's easy", I said, "look- that guppy just dared!"
"Get going! I said, "Here, I'll give you a push!"
"Don't touch me!", he yelled, and exhaled with a 'whoosh'!
The pond was soon filled, fish were swimming a runway
The show ran all weekend, a winner picked sunday
The Jellyfish flowed, the Puffer fish blowed
The Minnows held finals inside a commode
The bigger fish jumped to a lake at the park-
believe me, they had to- the judge was a shark!
But just as the winner was about to be announced,
it sounded like flushing, and everything bounced
It turned out that no one had granted my wish
and so ended my days of designer fish!
Joseph John Racano
The Nudibranch Train
‘All aboard!’ came the pullman porter’s refrain
so we all climbed aboard on the Nudibranch Train
Sloshing his feet, he slid down the aisle
collected our tickets and left with a smile
And so it began in a warm summer rain
A curious trek on the Nudibranch Train
which took us from somewhere, I won’t be specific
Eventually plunged us into the Pacific
The colors were stellar on every box car
(Nudibranchs wear the couture of a star)
Hues made of blue, lemon-lime, red and mango
Nudibranchs look like a visual tango
Even the rainbows turn green with envy
A kaleidoscope knows that he’s been beaten when he
encounters a Nudibranch riding the currents
Fluorescent with pinstripes, and black light deterrents
As goes the engine, so goes the caboose
They covered the spectrum from pink to chartreuse
One car was striped red and white candy cane
What’s not to like on the Nudibranch Train?
Back at the station, a shark and cetacean
awaited the train with a friendly crustacean
out to console a poor butterflies soul
who used to be Monarch (now Nudibranch’s role)
‘Woodside! Callabassas!’ the Porter did shout
And slow as molassass, the Jellyfish got out
They always paid less, and were loved for chatoyancy
Though sometimes, without them, it helped with the bouyancy
Transporting us wasn't too hard for these gents
But we lost all our luggage in geotherm vents
Topside, the storm raged in circular motion
though it wasn't a factor this deep in the ocean
Finally arriving at Marrianna’s Trench
I helped them switch tracks with a barnacled wrench
Cuttlefish cuddled and Octopus cried
while mermaids and conch shells waited outside
Some said hello, some said their farewells
Some twirled antennae, and vibrated shells
Next thing you know we zoomed off again
Another adventure on the Nudibranch Train!
Joseph John Racano
‘All aboard!’ came the pullman porter’s refrain
so we all climbed aboard on the Nudibranch Train
Sloshing his feet, he slid down the aisle
collected our tickets and left with a smile
And so it began in a warm summer rain
A curious trek on the Nudibranch Train
which took us from somewhere, I won’t be specific
Eventually plunged us into the Pacific
The colors were stellar on every box car
(Nudibranchs wear the couture of a star)
Hues made of blue, lemon-lime, red and mango
Nudibranchs look like a visual tango
Even the rainbows turn green with envy
A kaleidoscope knows that he’s been beaten when he
encounters a Nudibranch riding the currents
Fluorescent with pinstripes, and black light deterrents
As goes the engine, so goes the caboose
They covered the spectrum from pink to chartreuse
One car was striped red and white candy cane
What’s not to like on the Nudibranch Train?
Back at the station, a shark and cetacean
awaited the train with a friendly crustacean
out to console a poor butterflies soul
who used to be Monarch (now Nudibranch’s role)
‘Woodside! Callabassas!’ the Porter did shout
And slow as molassass, the Jellyfish got out
They always paid less, and were loved for chatoyancy
Though sometimes, without them, it helped with the bouyancy
Transporting us wasn't too hard for these gents
But we lost all our luggage in geotherm vents
Topside, the storm raged in circular motion
though it wasn't a factor this deep in the ocean
Finally arriving at Marrianna’s Trench
I helped them switch tracks with a barnacled wrench
Cuttlefish cuddled and Octopus cried
while mermaids and conch shells waited outside
Some said hello, some said their farewells
Some twirled antennae, and vibrated shells
Next thing you know we zoomed off again
Another adventure on the Nudibranch Train!
Joseph John Racano
Above: 'Nightship' my pen & ink artwork- below: Nightship the poem...
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
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