Space Junk
Dirk was educated to a very high degree
But there was no career for as far as the eye could see
Finally he took a part time job just as a start
And now he was Retriever of the wayward shopping cart
He’d gather shopping carts in wind and rain and even snow
He’d gather them from anywhere a wayward cart might go
He’d find those carts on foggy days by peering through the mist
But this was no job for a ‘Grade A’ rocket scientist
He dreamt of flying missions into deepest, darkest space
Each cart became a lunar scooter on which he would race
A wiry skateboard that his intellect could focus on
To earn some bucks to keep his lights and gas from being gone
One day in a wicked storm a cart wheeled by itself
And raced toward a car of someone with apparent wealth
Dirk fought through the tempest to avert a sure collision
And in the car, it’s owner made a very quick decision
The passenger door opened and the driver yelled, “Get in,
Your future life awaits you and today it will begin.
We’ve made you gather shopping carts for this eternity
For where you’re going you must comprehend humility.”
Well, Dirk caught only some of that but still got in the car
He slammed his door and said, “So tell me who the hell you are.”
The man said, “I’m from NASA and we’re sending you to Mars,
to visit project ‘Black’ where you’ll find houses, shops and bars.”
Dirk said, “Have you got a hidden camera in your butt?
You’ve gotta think that I’m an under educated nut.”
The man said, “We have shaped you to be humble, calm and meek
And now that you are ready we can give you what you seek.”
Eventually Dirk accepted that it was for real
Leaving shopping carts to fester didn’t dent his zeal
It only took a pre-planned schedule of some twenty weeks
To find him in a Perspex dome between two martian peaks
And gazing through the glazing of that perfect airtight dome
Dirk just thanked his lucky stars that he was right at home
He’d spent so many years enduring lecturers explaining
And then a voice behind him said, “It’s time to use your training.
“Would you like to take a Martian walk outside this dome?
There aren’t that many here who ever truly get to roam.”
Dirk just grinned a wily grin, “You must know my ambition,
You know damned well that I would never turn down such a mission.”
Dirk faced his commander, who said, “I’m so glad you’re loyal,
There’s things that happen that we can’t explain on martian soil.
There aren’t too many people with your skills around these parts,
So get your space suit on and gather up those shopping carts.”
Copyright © Terry Flood | Year Posted 2023
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