"Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn." ~Thomas Gray

"Poetry unites." ~Anon

"Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it." ~Emily Dickinson


Written by Collin Kelley
He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
His blog: Collin Kelley

Originally appeared in Dead Mule School of Southern Literature

Secret Origins of the Super-Villains

The comic book arrives in the mail,
found on eBay, sold by a stranger,
my childhood memory only $10
plus postage.
I’ve wanted this since I was six,
the oversized DC for $1.00,
cried over its disappearance
from the rack at Grant’s,
my parents screaming at each other
over why they wasted money
on Lion Country Safari,
when all I wanted was the comic:
Secret Origins of the Super-Villains.
The cover emblazoned on my brain,
a holy grail for almost thirty years.
Superman, Batman, The Flash,
and Wonder Woman all hard-charging
toward the enemies, Lex Luthor,
The Joker, Captain Cold and Cheetah.
Now I have it in my hands, and it means
nothing. It’s as perfect
as a summer day in 1975, unscarred by time,
pristine in plastic wrapper.
Maybe I just wanted that year back,
and the twenty that followed.
To take those days, put them under
lock and key or on a high shelf,
protected from damage.
Maybe I just want to believe,
like when I was five,
that someone could save me.
Could keep my parents together,
save people from dying,
and buildings from falling.
Even at thirty one, sitting in front of a TV
on a blue September morning
as the planes crashed in NYC,
I held out hope there might be a Superman.

Posted with consent from the writer.

8 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    "The cover emblazoned on my brain,
    a holy grail for almost thirty years.
    Superman, Batman, The Flash,
    and Wonder Woman all hard-charging
    toward the enemies, Lex Luthor,
    The Joker, Captain Cold and Cheetah.
    Now I have it in my hands, and it means
    nothing. " ah, what times does to soften old passions...brilliant piece.
    Gordon Mason said...
    Excellent poem on the world always being better when we were young. Liked the detail of the parents screaming, the comic cover.
    WHY? said...
    A perfect balance of sentiment and truth!
    K.Lawson Gilbert said...
    I remember feeling that way when I was younger - that my heroes would save the day. A hard lesson of life, when one realizes that its ALL up to us - and how limited our powers really are.
    K.Lawson Gilbert said...
    I wanted to add that your poem is very well structured - a perfect narrative in its brevity. It's riveting from the first line down!
    Glynis Peters said...
    Wonderful sentiments!Thanks for sharing
    joaquin carvel said...
    this is amazing narrative - reflective and rich – the best kind of time machine, crafted perfectly. fantastic.
    Ron said...
    I wouldn't have thought I'd read a poem mentioning Secret Origins of the Super-Villains. And a nice poem at that!

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