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@ 27.055 MHz: Ad Astra; Late Lunchers; April, 1912
I did not want to part from you that season:
but teenaged boys in love are no good reason
for travel plans to suffer least delay;
With them, I left the hotel right away,
just as the lobby clock struck a loud chime.
Traffic was thick: we were caught in its crunch.
Grandfather shouted in his usual panic,
cursing us all for wasters of good time.
So we arrived a bit too late to board.
The ship had already put out to sea;
Grandfather almost apoplectic: shocks
like this always stirred up his seething rage,
and that was not good at his advanced age.
The first class would soon sit down to their lunch.
Thus, turned away (the British courteously
polite) we bickered in common discord:
I, myself, rather glad that this Titanic---
unsinkable as advertised to be---
had left us (and some other folks) behind.
I told myself this was Fate, well designed
to bring me into your arms, nakedly;
you, also naked except those gray socks.
Starward
Delightful and whimsical and
Delightful and whimsical and sweet!
Thank you very much. I
Thank you very much. I wanted the effect to be whimsical, but also to underscore the contrasts between the two Boyfriends, nakedly safe and warm in each other's arms, and the impending tragedy, the chill of death and drowning, about to be delivered by the supposedly unsinkable ship. I very much appreciate your compliment.
Starward
Love was the guardian angel
Love was the guardian angel in this charming story set against the towering backdrop of the Titanic's departure. There's some brilliant reverse tension here: we're hoping that the couple do NOT make it to the ship on time while the grandfather blusters about the "unfortunate" delay.
Fate can often be a benevolent despot; perhaps it was those enchanted, highly symbolic socks.
Another fun, witty and heart-melting celebration of love.
Thank you very much. You
Thank you very much. You have validated what I had hoped for the poem, and its effects, and I am very grateful for that. Despite the backdrop of the tragic sinking, I wanted to contrast to it the happiness of the BoyFriends. The gadgets of which society is so proud, and the Titanic was one of those gadgets, are nothing compared to the beauty, the comfort, and the warmth of the Love experienced by the BoyFriends. And I just had to mention those ubiquitous socks. Thank you for commenting, especially as busy as I know you have been.
Starward
You absolutely succeeded in
You absolutely succeeded in your strategy to show how no material creation can compare with a loving connection. That message came through elegantly, although I was remiss in giving a complete analysis due my exhaustion last night. This series just keeps getting better and better.
Thank you for those words as
Thank you for those words as well. I made a couple of slight alterations in the poem, just to more specifically indicate that the speaker had to leave his Boyfriend behind due to family demand (a situation that happens all too often). But their temporary parting was relieved by a warm reunion, which certainly was better than a cold drowning in the North Atlantic.
Starward