Following Gulliver
A Space Odyssey in Rhyme
He’s left standing on the walkway
overlooking the loading bay
wondering when the one he waits for will come home.
Yet this captain he cares for has the spirit to roam.
He understands the temptation
the stars connect every location.
But he’s still grounded with two feet on the floor
wondering if he’ll ever be something more
When they’re reunited, it’s sweet but brief
fleeting encounters only bring so much relief.
He doesn’t share that same ambition
to explore space without any inhibition.
Thus, he’s left to wait, with wires to lace
on a colony floating through space.
While some embrace mechanical wings to soar
others need to remain behind the loading door.
To have the skills with wires and screens
is not something to satisfy a wanderer’s dreams.
But he’s not an explorer, he lacks that trait
which leaves him behind, to sit and wait.
Discontentment pokes and pries
challenging his tired eyes.
When the ships dock again tomorrow
he knows he needs to find the will to follow.
About the Creator
Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA
Writer, bookworm, sci-fi space cadet, and coffee+tea fanatic living in Brooklyn. I have an MS in Integrated Design & Media and an MFA in Fiction from NYU. I share poetry on Instagram as @SleeplessAuthoress.
Keep reading
More stories from Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA and writers in Poets and other communities.
I Want This World to Last
How often do you pause for a moment and appreciate the world around you? Ephemeral Blooms This poem was inspired by a very simple daily event. I was walking down a sidewalk at work and saw how it was positively papered with fallen flowers. Even though it's all part of the usual cycle of things, it felt like the trees bloomed then shed their flowers in the blink of an eye. I put my writer's hat on and started thinking a little more about the literary implications of the pattern. It started my mind down the path of thinking about how flowers have short lifespans, but live them beautifully and vibrantly.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA7 years ago in Poets
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.