In honor of the 2013 Trekkies high holy day (the debut of the new movie Into Darkness, opens May 16th), we’re featuring Star Trek poems from two of our student writers: Sara Barkat and Sonia Joie. Hop in at the end of this post, too, for a Star Trek poetry prompt and add to the celebration!
The Bridge Crew Watches TV
If he can make gunpowder
he can win—he said, eyes glued to the screen,
As if, by speaking louder
The man would hear. Time ran down the hour
like a dream,
if he can make gunpowder
All may yet be saved—what’s that? Strange-colored flour?
No—ingredients, a mineral-seam
as if, by speaking louder
He would suddenly have the power
to step through, or make time freeze.
If he can make gunpowder
There would be no need
to conspire.
If he can make gunpowder.
As if. By speaking louder.
—villanelle by Sara Barkat, at age 14
(from the point of view of Kevin Thomas Riley)
They didn’t seem to like it,
when I rendered Kathleen,
and had to take away Uhura’s ice cream.
There was to be a formal dance in the bowling alley,
I don’t know how that got called off.
See, I was Captain Kevin Thomas Riley,
of the starship Enterprise,
though,
the navigator,
Kirk,
seemed to think it was otherwise.
Ahh,
poor him,
you see how strange you get,
when you’ve been in space too long?
Oh,
excuse me,
I must render Kathleen,
one, more, time…
—Sonia Joie, at age 12
3 • Episode: Spectre of the Gun
Spectre of the Gun
One bright day when the sky was red
three men stood, they were head to head
with hats of black and with suits the same
and the dust blew hard with no sign of rain.
The men said, here, you have one last choice
speak up now, we can’t hear your voice
but the Enterprise four were wrapped around
and they stood, heads high, on the dry, dry ground.
The men held their guns and began to shoot
and the bullets with noise flew fast and true
and the fence behind splintered with pockmarked holes
but the four stood there, unafraid and bold.
They didn’t believe all of this was true
they didn’t believe it as the bullets flew
they didn’t believe as the volley slowed
they didn’t believe it as they stood on the road.
The sky went away and the bullets too
and the men in the hats and the fancy suits
and the Enterprise crew lived again that day
and the wild, wild, west went far away.
—Sara Barkat, at age 14
Photo by J.D. Hancock, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Poems by Sara Barkat and Sonia Joie.
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Star Trek Poetry Prompt
Write a Star Trek poem from the point of view of your favorite character. Use the opening line, “I remember.”
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Buy a year of Every Day Poems, just $5.99— Read a poem a day, become a better poet. In May we’re exploring the theme Swans, Swallows, Phoenix.
- 3 Star Trek Poems: Into Darkness - May 15, 2013
Maureen Doallas says
Wonderful! We all have some serious competition with you two writers.
I am hopeless when it comes to any series. I haven’t watched television in more than seven years; in fact, I don’t own one. I’d have to do some research to get in on this prompt.
L. L. Barkat says
Love the use of the villanelle to produce a worried tension in the first poem. And I really like the change in punctuation in the last line.
In the second poem, I am just smiling because, Sonia, you seem to have captured an almost drunken or zombie state.
The final poem feels almost like a ballad. I want someone to put it to music. I like the way you sometimes make up your own forms, Sara 🙂 You impress me.