Taken Aboard

This poem was written in response to the Rattle® Poetry Ekphrastic Challenge for May 2023 and was ultimately not selected. You can find more information here.

https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/

The image that this poem was specifically written about can be found here. (May 2023 - Carmella Dolmer's “A Lonesome Border”)

https://i0.wp.com/www.rattle.com/ekphrasis/EC23May.jpg?ssl=1

Taken Aboard

A wormhole opened in the sky

From which lights descended

A ship from worlds far away

Gliding silent through the dark

Landing behind a tree line in the old farmer’s field

We ran to go see

Concealing ourselves behind a bush

Out stepped men, handsome men

Just like the ones of Earth

Tall and chiseled

Wearing nothing

But unlike earthlings, they were beautiful

Beyond beautiful

Skin of sea-foam green

Eyes like emerald jewels

Silver hair that glistened in the moonlight

Our jaws dropped in wonder

At the sight before our eyes

“Are they trees?”

“I don’t know, but they be some sexy trees?”

“I tell you what, I’d climb them like they were trees.”

“Amen. Agreed.”

“Do you think it’s the second coming, like Pastor always said was at hand?”

“I don’t know sister, but if that’s what God looks like, then I am headin’ to that Promised Land.”

And so we stripped off our clothes

Discarding our earthly coverings

Revealing our true selves

Clasping hands, we stepped out

From our hiding place

“We wish to come with you.”

And lo and behold

A light shone down on us

Now the town’s folk probably thought we were missing

Maybe went and joined the circus

Or murdered by a serial killed

And buried far in the back forty

But little do they know

We found our Eden

And looking out over paradise

All these centuries later

We exchange a little smile

“Do you remember sister, the day we were taken aboard?”

“How could I not? That’s when I started believin’ in the Lord.”

Submitted under MRB