The Phenomenon

by Myles Weber (January 2024)

Likewise, fantasies of wealth acquisition
prepare the mind for a lottery win
much as saucy movies ready the body
for reproduction should that opportunity come back around.
–
And, so, docudramas on alien sightings
build muscle memory for aerial events.
Should civilians face menacing ultimatums,
instructions to potential initiates are clear.
Tread lightly with badge-wearing goons and the press.
In legible script, preserve pertinent details.
Make copies of documents before they’re impounded.
The clearest “Duh”:  Keep your cell phone charged.
In support of your core beliefs, strengthen your ties
to commercial and armed-service pilots (retired),
–
ex-Soviet officials, local police,
the Canadian minister of defense, astronauts,
the governor of Arizona, Senator Harry Reid,
the state apparatus of the Republic of France,
Zimbabwean schoolchildren, Brazilian lawyers
and television journalists-slash-talking heads,
foreign missionaries in Papua New Guinea,
and one witness from prerevolution Iran.
–
If your circle excludes these experienced guides,
for quick reinforcement stay proximate to scouts
who watch the night sky as responsibly as you.
But life can get tangled.  Your rising fame
and subsequent ridicule may quiet observers.
On these grounds and others, seek quality friends.
Allies serve as armor toward aliens and foes.

Table of Contents

Myles Weber is the author of Consuming Silences: How We Read Authors Who Don’t Publish (University of Georgia Press).  His work has appeared in the Georgia Review, the Southern Review, the Sewanee Review, and the Kenyon Review.

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