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Michael Mackmin

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The Piece of Paper

It has been a long journey
there and back again
only possible through the Great
Wonder of Science our faithful
machine, her pilots
her crew, who I must thank,
how good-humoured etc.,
even when they had to
tie me to my chair.
Thanks to them all black holes,
caves of despair, were missed;
doubts, illusions, perilous
asteroids, great calm places
the true halcyon breeds,
passed over. True there were
fleshpots, and we were tempted,
but really, relatively, the delays
meant nothing, the purpose held:
on through the dark dark night -
we played Scrabble by the eerie light
of our Atomic Engines. And I
have seen him. We met. We talked,
there in his simple palace
with its views, timeless,
and surrounded by his family -
his mother, his son, his wives -
and we reached an agreement,
there is love we said,
and I have his signature to it,
here on this piece of paper.

 

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