a poetic journey
The main purpose of my story is to reassure you through love and support, diet and strict adherence to taking medicine, you can beat AIDS. My message applies to all people all over the world. It cannot be a question of money if 25,000,000 people have died. It has to be a question of priorities. Do we appropriate money for keeping people alive or spend billions sending rockets into outer space?
I’m getting sleepy so off I drifted
To another time where my spirit was lifted
Only downward in reverse
As I thought of AIDS and its curse
And then the phone awakened me
And said you have been selected to see
The most powerful force on Earth
Greater than life, death and birth
A thousand of the most brilliant men
Have created a rocket that is more powerful than
Any force ever felt or known
‘Big deal’ I said and hung up the phone
And then the room started to rumble
Perhaps I must learn to be more humble
The next thing I saw
Was a rocket coming through the floor
The rocket invited me inside
And said ‘I’m taking you for a ride’
I climbed aboard through a tiny ladder
For me only one thing would matter
I would travel to another time
Where I could solve our planet’s greatest crime
For I will bring back a suitcase full
Of diamonds, rubies and jewels until
I have enough money to buy the cure
This is something I couldn’t ignore
Fly with me in the darkness to find the light
And off we flew for mankind this night
As the rocket went soaring through the sky
It said ‘I apologize for the lie
I have no power, I cannot even feel
I have no heart and I cannot heal
I am driven by the creation of 1,000 brains
Of 1,000 men whose accomplishments and gains
Depend upon convincing man and womankind alike
That the space program should not take a hike’
I said ‘okay I’ll give you a chance
Perhaps I could learn to change my stance
Listen to me and stay the course
I direct you on for today I’m the boss
I want you to find a place where a heart does not beat
Flying at supersonic speeds oh what a feat
Your engines will deafen any other sound
From here to heaven and back to the ground’
The engines roared and a sound could not be heard
Not a laugh, not a cry, not a single word
And then I heard a beat of a heart call
Slowering, quietening as it began to fall
And fade away into nothingness but the beat
In my soul grew louder and it would repeat
A deafening silence was inside me roaring
Within me was violence and it was pouring
From my heart and all parts of me
I felt death and knew this was to be
An unpleasant tragic event
The rocket began its descent
And shortly after we touched down on cement
And there before us I understood why
I had the urge I had to try
To bring life to this child who had just died
But his beat was still in my soul and I cried
I told the rocket ‘your force is not as strong
As the silence of a heartbeat and you were wrong all along
It is the power of the silencing of a heart
That has a force that tears me apart
And others I hope and I pray
Will vote their conscience and will say
The money, energy and love must find a place
That will save lives and not conquer space
Go to the 1,000 brains that conjured up this space scheme
Rechannel your efforts and dare to dream
Of saving lives on this planet Earth
And then you can be proud your brain has worth’
Just then the rocket seemed to hear
And for a moment perhaps it learned to care
For in that flash the rocket turned to dust
And 1,000 brains realized they must
Redirect their energy toward finding a cure
And the world would echo its sentiments, I was sure
If only I had the power to make my poems and dreams come true you wouldn’t have to read another poem about my flying around in rockets and balloons. I could then dedicate my life to writing poems that would cure all diseases.
World AIDS Marathon | Richard M. Brodsky Foundation
Author Richard M. Brodsky
www.trebloon.com
©2002 Trebloon Publications
RichardM.Brodsky@gmail.com
