04-13-2020, 04:44 AM
Kryptonian Do-over
Superman suffered loss, first with a planet
he didn’t remember, and then with a love
that he wasn’t fast enough to save. It was complicated.
There were nuclear missiles, Lex Luthor, and beachfront property
in Nevada. Superman could be forgiven
for not stopping two missile detonations on opposite sides
of the country. The loss he felt while digging through the rubble
and holding her broken body in his arms. Even great power
has limits. He couldn’t save her. So, he did
what any rational, near-omnipotent Kansas farm boy
would do. He unwound the world like we might an old clock.
He flew beyond light and beyond time. He could be forgiven
for being naïve. Love can make the best of us stupid.
He traveled 187,000 miles a second
because he wasn’t fast enough to be there in time.
Superman suffered loss, first with a planet
he didn’t remember, and then with a love
that he wasn’t fast enough to save. It was complicated.
There were nuclear missiles, Lex Luthor, and beachfront property
in Nevada. Superman could be forgiven
for not stopping two missile detonations on opposite sides
of the country. The loss he felt while digging through the rubble
and holding her broken body in his arms. Even great power
has limits. He couldn’t save her. So, he did
what any rational, near-omnipotent Kansas farm boy
would do. He unwound the world like we might an old clock.
He flew beyond light and beyond time. He could be forgiven
for being naïve. Love can make the best of us stupid.
He traveled 187,000 miles a second
because he wasn’t fast enough to be there in time.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson