A Sequel to a Poem I Haven't Published

So, I was going through the proofs of my new book (Due March 2011!), which is a rather tedious (but also sometimes fun) process in which you hum and haw over each period and comma and syllable in your work. But as I was reading through the last poem in the book (We Heart Robot) and was inspired to start writing a sequel to it. This is largely unfinished, and who knows if it ever will be, but it was fun to start so I thought I'd share it.

Anyway, some prologue: The original poem (which you can find in my new book) sort of covers how all those girls got into his stomach in the first place. But I kind of wondered, during the review, what Giant Robot and the 1000 Japanese Schoolgirl's lives were like post departure from Earth. (Yes, this is an actual poem...published by an actual press.)

Anyway, here goes, the sequel to a poem you haven't read yet!

Gigantic Robot and the Shortcake Planet

One day

A thousand Japanese school girls

(and a few friends hanging out)

were lounging in the belly-lounge

of Gigantic Robot’s stomach

when he ran out of

Strawberry Shortcake gas

He rumbled

And he trembled

And the thousand schoolgirls

erupted in a chorus

of ‘ohhhhs’

and even a few tea sets

got broken

and beanbag chairs

overturned

Whatever shall we do?

Where can we get more gas?

The girls asked

and then it was decided.

Going back to Earth

was no option

- too dull

for these well-heeled universal citizens

and the tiramisu just wasn’t that great -

No

they must go to the planet

Shortcake

Strawberry

but first

they’d need to buy

lots of gifts