When We Landed on the Moon

When we landed on the moon

The first thing we wanted

Was brunch

It turns out mimosas are plentiful

On the lunar surface

But eggs Benedict

And turkey bacon

Are harder to come by

We finally found a place called Telly’s

Named after that monster on Sesame Street

The second-string monster

Like, the third you would name

After Grover and Elmo

There were supposed to be four of us

But Orion 8 had some issues with take-off

So they were back at Mission Control

Just sorting out what happened

And, you know, taking stock

Of their own personal value
In the midst of a possible crisis

The three of us ordered some small plates

The Eggs Benedict

Regular bacon--because why not?
We earned it

One of us ordered the Moon Mimosa

But we’re not saying who

Because the Moon Mimosa

Has a little something extra in it

That one of us should not be drinking

Because technically we’re on the clock

For as long as we’re here

Never thought of that, did you?

Coffee breaks on lunar missions?

It’s true

You never do get a break

Except we took one

We took brunch

Which turned into lunch

Which turned into a light dinner

And why?

Because we earned it

Overlooking the Earth
While nibbling on English muffins

Isn’t exactly the height of decadence

But we couldn’t help

Feeling special

We were astronauts

And not only that

We were taking time

To acknowledge

Our own achievements

So many who had come before us

Were content

To simply plant a flag

And move on with things

Experiments

Tests

Dirt collection

This mission would be something different

A chance for three men

To assess the celestial landscape

From a more relaxed

Point of view

We toasted our accomplishment

The bridging of a gap

So wide

Mortal beings

Cannot cross it

Only those who have stardust

In their DNA

Only those who have dreams

Like magnets

That pull them towards

Unimaginable glory

Only those who went to Space Camp as a kid

And thought—

Yes

Yes, this is for me

This is who I am

Back on our origin planet—

(How we’ll think of it from now on)

--Barracudas swim in the oceans

Birds feed their young

Lions eat antelopes

Traffic jams pile up

And we’re here

Asking for a refill

On our Virgin Bloody Mary’s

And another Moon Mimosa

For the one of us

Who doesn’t see the harm

In a little off-the-grid enthusiasm

Far from the locusts

And the London subways

There are three men

Who have completed a task

That those in Kindergarten

Make finger drawings of

It’ll take some time

Before those we left behind

Realize we’re not coming back

But by then, we’ll be totally new people

Moon people

Drinking Moon Mimosas

Because our work will have been completed

And we, ourselves, will be complete

And after that...

Why go home?

Why try to do anything

Other than stay
At the place

That makes us feel

Unique?

We clink our glasses

And snap for our waiter

Knowing that eventually

It’ll be time

To get back to work