.
Saturday morning readers share:
Ben Stinson
.
Cosmic Okra
.
With a low,
warbling harmonica
and a banjo pluck intro
We fade into Jim,
he’s got a beard
like a startled badger,
and I,
well,
I’m wearing mismatched socks, again.
.
We’re staring up,
at a sky so black,
like a cosmic inkwell spilled.
Jim says, “You know, the nearest star,
it’s, like, a zillion miles away,
give or take a Tuesday.”
I say, “Yeah,”
and remind him,
“that’s just
the neighbor’s
backyard bug zapper.”
.
Sitting on his porch swing,
the rusty springs creaking like a chorus of old robots.
We’re eating pickled okra,
(because,
well,
why not?),
While pondering the sheer,
unadulterated,
mind-bending,
eyeball-melting,
banana-hammock-wearing,
vastness of it all.
Galaxies spiraling,
black holes slurping,
quasars burping out light
like a drunken dragon.
.
And here we are,
Jim and I,
two blips,
two specks,
two slightly damp,
okra-flavored consciousnesses,
witnessing the cosmic freak show.
Like two white squirrels
at a symphony,
trying to figure out
if the conductor’s hat
is edible.
.
We’re here,
we’re aware,
we’re mildly confused.
And Jim just asked if the moon is made of cheddar.
.
The universe,
it doesn’t care about our socks,
or our pickled okra,
or our existential dread.
It just keeps spinning,
expanding,
doing its thing,
like a giant,
cosmic washing machine,
set on “infinite rinse cycle.”
And we’re here,
watching the suds,
wondering
if we left the dryer running.
.
And Jim just burped,
saying profoundly,
“That’s probably a supernova.”
.
.
.
I am a sculptor and poet living in the mountains of NC. I find inspiration from all the bounty that nature provides. — Ben
.
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
.
Thank you for visiting Verse and Image:
. . . . . every Friday I present one or two poems I’ve read this week that particularly speak to me;
. . . . . every Saturday I present one or two poems submitted by YOU, my readers.
.
If you would like to offer a poem for consideration, either by a favorite author or your own work, please view these GUIDELINES for Saturday Readers Share:
.
.
If you would like to receive an email each time a post appears, please SUBSCRIBE to Verse and Image using the button on the Home Page.
.
If you have a hard time finding the SUBSCRIBE button on this WordPress site, you can send me your email address and I will add you to the subscriber list. Send your request to
.
COMMENTS@GRIFFINPOETRY.COM
.
Thanks again for joining the conversation.
.
– Bill
.
V E R S E and I M A G E 
You had me at the title. Reading this poems is like finding the smiles hiding in the universe. Marvelous panoramic…