The last time I flew to the moon
my feet remained grounded in Albuquerque.
I thought I would be the first to visit the lunar surface
but there were foot prints in the dirt
that looked like Fred Astaire
and Ginger Rogers had danced there.
I’ve seen those steps in nineteen fifty’s
home dance lesson kits with numbered footprints.
Now you know I am talking about the past
before Mark McGwire’s prodigious home run seasons.
Before. Neil Armstrong and the Apollo Eleven mission.
Before Jackie Gleason and Alice.
I was five years old and my conscious mind
did not prevent me from doing things I thought possible.
I hate that I am now limited by reality
as taught to me through university and peer pressure.
If you need me I’ll be seated halfway down the staircase
Not at the bottom. Not at the top.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 