Sunday, November 9, 2014

Alan Catlin- Three Poems

           
              "my thoughts are aliens"

communicated on
parallel levels
of existence,
maintaining lives
extracted from
ozone
a planet and
a particle at
a time
formulating new
worlds like
interplanetary
subway cars
derailing in
a tunnel of
black holes inside
passengers accept
transfer tickets for,
rushing head on
enclosing
indecipherable
messages,
surrendered
before they can
leave the lips


Another Man Who Fell to Earth

He looked like
The Man Who Fell
to Earth but I
couldn't tell if
it was before or
after the contacts,
concealing his alien
eyes had been removed,
because of his wrap
around shades, sd.,
"I have transmitters
in my teeth that relay
messages from outer
space." Sat smiling
as if I should be
impressed so I sd.,
"Canines, incisors or molars?"
"All three." He said,
barely missing a beat,
though I sensed a
distinct lessening in
his perceived command
of the situation he was
attempting to create
so I sd., "Let me know
when you get one tuned
in for Uranus. I'd really
like to hear about that
one.""Very funny."
he replied, not meaning it.
"Let me guess, "I sd.,
"You wear dark glasses
inside at night so no one
can see the cameras behind
you eyes."
"Very perceptive, any other
observations or comments?"
"Yeah, there were a couple
of your guys in here last
week.  Maybe you should
hook up and trade pointers
or, at least, get your stories straight."
"You're a real know it all,
aren't you?""Yeah, you broke
my cover, I do work for the
thought police and what
you're thinking now could
get you life without parole
on a desert planet like ours."


My Favorite Martian

must have been his role model
for haberdashery, although finding
a way to make the rear of the head
antenna stay put had clearly
eluded him.

Both retractable side receptors lay
flat against his hat when not in use,
held fast by duct tape, earphones
for better, easy listening, molded
into place behind each ear with magic
tape and reception improvement
provided by opened spread thin,
doublemint spearmint gum wrappers
crazy glued together and fastened by
diaper pins to his hat for extra security.

Must have been the perfect stepping out
fashion statement, morning wear for a new
wave of benign alien invaders judging by
his blank, beatific smile and the way
no one seemed to notice or to care.

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