The Galactic Traveler – Beyond the Earth
The Galactic Traveler
I race across the Universe
Ten times the speed of light.
To work the mines of Mercury
But return to Earth each night.
The mines produce plutonium
Which powers most planets’ light,
A radioactive mineral
But safe if treated right.
On Earth my form of transport
Is a helium balloon,
But my spacecraft’s what I like the best
With its supersonic boom.
I was at a bar on Jupiter
Drinking space ale with a mate,
But two four-armed Saturnians
Decided on our fate.
They called my friend a Martian
But he comes from Mercury
The ensuing fight was brutal
And quite a sight to see.
Three nights in jail on Jupiter
Is not my choice of fun
In a cell with 15 aliens,
And nowhere can you run.
I met a girl from Venus
At a nightclub on Neptune.
I took her to a motel
On Uranus’ smallest moon.
She was a willing lover,
As Venusians always are,
And wanted me to fly her past
The Sun, our closest star.
I told her it was much too hot
Even Mercury’s a test,
Besides I never had the fuel.
We’d make the Earth at best.
They say Pluto’s not a planet now
But my parents think it’s nice.
They live there in an igloo
‘Cause the landscape’s mostly ice.
I couldn’t wait to get away,
I prefer a warmer place.
I split my time ‘tween Earth and Mars
Or rocketing through space.
I love the rings of Saturn
I vacation there in March,
But mostly I enjoy my time
In my man-cave here on Mars.
Roaming through the Milky Way
In a spaceship built from scrap,
Negotiating asteroids
And nasty black hole traps.
Playing golf on Venus
Is a sport second to none.
Low gravity makes every ball
A potential hole in one.
At a rock concert on Saturn
Bill Haley performed live.
Here people who have passed on Earth,
Through timewarps, still, survive.
The concert was electric,
‘The Comets’ really rock,
But I needed to leave early
To be on Mars by 10 o’clock.
I had to fix my rocket,
It needed crash repairs.
An unexpected meteor shower
Had caused it cracks and tears.
Then back to the mines on Mercury,
I have to earn my keep.
The work is hot and physical
But rocket fuel’s not cheap.
I spent a year on Jupiter
Which every spaceman must.
It makes the Earth looks like a speck
Of meteoric dust.
It’s a vibrant windswept planet
Adorned with coloured sands,
And a training ground for astronauts
From all galaxies and lands.
My girlfriend is from Neptune
And she lives with me on Mars.
She runs ‘Constellations’ salon
For celebrities and stars.
Freddy Mercury’s a client
And Venus Williams too.
Bruno Mars is a regular,
And Keith Moon’s paid his due.
I love the Earth where I was born,
The Third Rock from the Sun,
But travelling the Galaxy
Is where I get my fun.
by John Hansen © 2014
John Hansen
After a lot of procrastinating I have finally self-published my first eBooks of poetry "I Laughed a Smile" and "On the Wings of Eagles" at Lulu.com.Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction.
I have also been fortunate to have two poems chosen to be made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren.
I am also finding my services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials.
It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years is now wonderful material for my stories and poems.
I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.
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Such an exiting and full life! A great, delightful poem with nice rhyme and flow – I love it. Well done, John. Take care.
Thank you so much for reading this Phylis. Glad you found it exciting and I appreciate the generous comment.
I really loved this and I never knew you were such a space cowboy my friend. When you rid off into the distant horizon you really ride off into the distant horizon…hahaha. I have been called a Martian a time or two and yes it got my blood to boil as well. My hat is off to you on this one John.
Yes, Kurt, I am a space cowboy that’s for sure 🙂 I ride off into a distant sunset…it could be a different sun. I have always loved space tales, movies, adventures and I think that shows here…haha. Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed.
WOW, John, not only did you provide spectacular photos with this wonderful galactic travel of yours, your prose was so visual, real and alive. Captain Kirk of The Enterprise would be proud of you as well as the Jetsons:-)) To think John, long after you and I have become star dust, our ancestors may just be doing all of this. But we just may surprise them and meet up with them as renewed star children ourselves. Beautifully penned my friend, you are certainly an exciting poet/writer. Bravo
Hi Vincent. Thanks for the generous comment. Yes, you are right, it may not be many years from now that our offspring may, in fact, be doing just what I describe here. We may just travel through that time warp and meet up with them too…haha. Thanks again for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed this adventure.
Great fun John, and no doubts one day life may well be like that. Nicely penned and very much enjoyed my friend.
It’s possible, Tony. Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed.