In the Next Life, Canto III, stanzas 351-360

By this time he was thoughtful and subdued.
Then suddenly he raised a single brow.
“Enough of my world. You must think me rude.
Let’s talk about life on the inside now.”

“It’s not like that at all; we don’t feel trapped.”
She was unsure of how much to reveal.
She had no secrets, but this guy was apt
to bend her words to fit his crazy spiel.

“We live for God; our hope lies in his grace.
And after that, the Mission,” she explained.
“If we must go, it’s to a better place.
As chosen ones, our rank is preordained.”

When asked how she was chosen, and by whom,
she said her ancestors had volunteered.
“The tubes, however, had but little room.
The founders picked them as the comet neared.”

“This mission that you mentioned—what’s the scoop?
These founders must have forked out lots of cash
just to provide your forebears with a coop.
There wasn’t that much warning of the crash.”

“Society gave them the wherewithal
to start the Mission, and they could predict
that something bad would come—if not that ball,
God’s punishment would have been just as strict.

“The Mission is the reason we’re confined.
The goal was not to save our mortal blood.
The founders were among those left behind
when these arks disappeared beneath the flood.

“We have been charged with keeping lit the flame
of Western culture, that it may be spread
when Earth is ready. That’s our Mission’s aim.
For that the carriers and we were bred.

“The founders by their sacrifice inspired
each generation afterward to keep
the wisdom from the one before acquired.
It will be ready when we make the leap.

“Is it not you who cannot comprehend
a meaning much beyond your puny soul?
With no philosophy that can transcend your skin,
how can you question any others’ goal?”

©2011 Louis A. Merrimac

In the Next Life, Canto III, stanzas 350-356

“More than a clue I claim, and more than close.
You see, that knowledge gap is self-imposed.
It’s really an addiction; the first dose
is given early; then your mind is closed.

“No matter what the culture, minds are weak.
The inability to question rules,
except where I grew up, and that’s a freak.
That works because those folks are total fools.

“Okay, that’s not quite true: I was conceived
because my mother’s options had no range.
With very valid reason, she believed
expiry was the only type of change.

“But then she and her daughter with me fled.
If they had stayed, they would have had more still.
The women of that place are worse than dead
if they attempt to exercise their will.

“By now, some others will have learned to fly.
They’ve learned they can avoid the risk and pain.
To leave is risky, too, I shan’t deny—
perhaps the like of that if they remain.

“The men, to keep their breeding pool intact,
will have tried very keenly to persuade
the women to stay home, and by this act,
those more persuadable are those who’ve stayed.

“A selfish, independent woman might
survive a lengthy time out in the wild,
or she might last no more than overnight,
but either way, she’ll never have a child.”

Breeding pool: Why would the men care about the breeding pool? At this level, aren’t we just talking about sex?

©2011 Louis A. Merrimac