In-Between #11 - Elaine Black

Escape Velocity

1. 
Jealous– we watch their metal bodies
break briefly from gravities enchantment 
our own escape velocity eludes
Careful calculations
On in ‘n out bags, gift receipts, and parking tickets
You name it--we’ve tattooed it with equations for freedom

2. 
M is for mass
the ever-expanding weight we carry in the pits 
of our peach stomachs.
We’re spinning our stories to please a nameless sultan
He flosses with the rising action
Smiles at inappropriate parts. 
G is the constant, fixed reminder
That we are gravities pets

3. 
We want to be higher than you
And your planes
Your parachuting skyscraper highbrow roller coasters
and college loans. 

4.
True beauty is out of this world
We decide.
Outer space is everything!
We pack our bags for Mars
freeze-dried ice cream, moon boots

5.
Finally. The vastness of space confirms our loneliness,
our matter is pulled apart 
after the zap of our helmets 
disengages them from around our necks 

6. 
We are back to the beginning
Ferris wheels of gas and dust 
A penny on a rubber sheet,
stretching endlessly.



Biography: Elaine Black is a Creative Writing Student at California State University, Long Beach. She enjoys driving alone, people watching and eating croissants.