Two Thumbs Down For Death

If I was to gift immortality to some people,

my choices would be Siskel and Ebert.

Then they could review movies forever,

and cancer denied two more deaths

as they munched on popcorn and sipped sodas,

wondering where George Lucas went.

When I watch Siskel remembered in 1999

it makes me feel old,

and when I see Ebert’s false chin

his lost voice sounds loudest, so I stare

at the sky for a shooting star to wish on-

the heavens giving me nothing but darkness.

This is What Happens When I Try to be Whimsical

When someone says they don’t like “Star Wars,”

or “Star Trek,” I wonder

what they think of Billionaires

with private space programs.

While the earth is slowly burning,

why can’t they see

that even if Spock isn’t real,

he would recycle, or Chewbacca

would die in a shootout

trying to save the rain forest?

Maybe a “galaxy far, far away” 

began with the wealthy fleeing a dying planet,

or that thought is just another fantasy

we’ll easily dismiss,

waiting for the next mockbuster

in the cheap bin at Wal-Mart.



Richard LeDue (he/him) lives in Norway House, Manitoba with his wife and son. His poems have appeared in various publications throughout 2021. His first chapbook, “The Loneliest Age,” was released in 2020 from Kelsay Books. His second and third chapbooks are forthcoming.