Something upThere’s something up, I think,
craning back my head
like a flip-top bottle
and surveying the unblemished blue blanket
spread out above me,
searching for a sign of the
plume of Icelandic ash
that’s sweeping Europe
like an economic crisis.
Planes grounded,
loved-ones stranded,
soon we will run out of fresh food
and the Americans will have to organise
an air-drop, to send us scrambling across fields
like the skinny black youths we see on TV.
Only of course, they can’t.
It will have to be a sea-drop,
weatherproof boxes of desiccated broccoli
(hard luck, kids)
bobbing towards Mayo on a philanthropic tide,
a line of comely maidens and beshawled women
wading out to retrieve them.
But still I scan the unseasonal blue sky
that glares back with a make-my-day-punk smile
and I think again –
There’s something up.
Lovely day again here. My money's on aliens and they're not telling us...
Dear Peter: The comely maidens would be the best part of this show for many experience this volcano's poop. How bad is the ash, is it covering buildings, people, pidgeons and such? We had such nice weather last week. No one saw this coming. Just a brief blurb "the volcano in Iceland is getting active". I have a theory about protonic activity; and wonders if we can throw any virgins into the volcano (oops there arent any across the pond). Sending more brocolli in cans (you know the dessicated kind you like!). Seriously, you guys ok? What can we do to help? Send cash? How much? Ok! We'll help you guys, don't worry, come on over here! We got to slay this dragon! (oh thats the dragon!)
ReplyDeleteThat middle bit with the comely maidens sounds a little like a man-fantasy to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the aliens theory; did you hear about the freaky meteor-showers and sonic booms in the midwest U.S.?
Kat
vivid imaginations,
ReplyDeletecool poem!
Haha! I can just see that happening! I really hope it doesn't...ugh. Broccoli.
ReplyDeletePeter
ReplyDeleteInteresting -- "craning back my head
like a flip-top bottle" a far side imagery appears in my head,,maybe we need to summon Joe in versus the Volcano.-- a sinister looking photo looks like the Grim Reaper hurling across the sky...
Comely maidens and broccoli all in one poem, amazing how you do that and it works so well together,aliens may be reading this right now it is my understanding they like both.
Your poem reads better then the actual news:
April 15: A meteoroid the size of a Volkswagen streaked across the Midwest Wednesday.
I wonder how they measured it to the Volkswagen? --
Joanny