Starship Trooper: A Poem For Edge—By PJ
Violet Green Edge, watercolor by Kelly Eddington, 2023. Based on a reference photo by Inchy.
Starship Trooper: A Poem For Edge
PJ DeGenaro
Starship Trooper
Leaning against the garden shed
I could smell the mulch and old iron tools
Splinters pricking my t-shirt
Sneakers sodden in dusk-wet grass
In my hand, a brand-new walkie-talkie
Crackling transmissions from my brother
Stationed at the other end of the house:
“Come in, Starship Trooper Zed-One-Seven,
Have you spotted the Mothership yet?”
“Negative.” “Roger that.”
Burst of snickering and static.
I was sure I’d have a jetpack by now
In this sweet futuristic summer of ‘74
But I am alert; finely attuned to the way
Tires hiss on nighttime pavement
Differently than they do in the afternoon.
My antenna quivers.
“Who’s that coming up the drive?”
“The Mothership; she’s been at the shops.”
More static, then silence, the thud of brother-feet,
The mother-talk, the car boot creaking open.
In how many motherships have I ridden now
The engines of my own inner churning
And my violet-green ambition
Running in pixels down the screens?
In this hot, grasping new century
It would be so easy to bag it all
To retire to the summer house
Lie flat on my back in the chaise
And lick salt from the rim of my glass.
What do you give to the man who has everything?
A marble sculpture of his own head?
A magic lantern to light his way?
A prayer that the universe would keep expanding?
Or a prayer that it would stop?
Please choose the outcome that is least sad.
But I will ride again into the desert
And board another mothership.
Starship Trooper Zed-One-Seven
Reporting for duty. The static, the silence
And the thud of brother-feet.
(And if you hear any noise
It ain't nobody but me and the boys.)
From Kelly: prints of Violet Green Edge are here. I recommend scrolling down and buying paper prints if you want to DIY a frame, or you can just tack them up on a bulletin board. All paper choices are good, but Enhanced Matte is the least expensive and looks great, and Hahnemule Torchon mimics my watercolor paper perfectly.
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