The Reversal

I was sitting outside the house at dawn

Having a quiet smoke,

I’m never allowed to smoke inside

And I’m just a quiet bloke,

I watched the first few friendly rays

Of the sun, rise over the town,

But then it grew dark, I watched amazed

As the sun went slowly down.

 

So dark, as black as a midden

And I truly felt alarmed,

Our cockerel ran in a circle, then

Fell down, was somehow charmed.

Surely the earth had not reversed,

But my senses said it had,

And when my chair went floating,

Then I knew that the news was bad.

 

Everything that was not tied down

Had slowly begun to rise,

Even my car and the outside bar

Hovered before my eyes,

I suddenly felt as light as air

And I had to grab a pole,

While the neighbour’s mobile home took off

And left behind a hole.

 

I made my way to the bedroom then,

It was doing in my head,

And there was the wife, still sound asleep

Floating above the bed,

The quilt and blankets were floating too

And I tried to hold them down,

‘I didn’t think that you cared,’ she said

As she woke, with a puzzled frown.

 

The problem lasted for seven hours

While we floated round inside,

I made my way to the ceiling light

And repaired the one that died.

The milk flew off from the cereal

And the toast popped up to the roof,

‘You see, the earth has reversed,’ I said,

‘If you need it, there’s the proof!’

 

The news was coming in fits and starts

From the station in the town,

While men were bracing beneath the desk

Just to hold the anchor down,

‘A giant comet has hit the earth

And has spun it in reverse,

They say that it’s only temporary,

Still, it could be worse.’

 

At midday, there was a glimmer of light

As the sun began to rise,

The furniture settled down again

And we saw familiar skies,

But the seven hours that we lost will be

Quarantined from time,

Unless we want to be rising as

The Noonday bells will chime.

 

And one thing that was a certainty

We’ll never trust again,

We said, ‘As sure as the sun comes up…’

But that was way back when.

And now I notice our cockerel

Can’t seem to sing a note,

Since ever its doodle-doodle-c**k

Came backwards from its throat.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[ANTO]

"as black as a midden" - I get the feeling sometimes that you have been sent from another more eloquent time to entertain us here in 2015 DLP.

"‘I didn’t think that you cared,’ she said
As she woke, with a puzzled frown." - real laugh out loud line that

"While men were bracing beneath the desk
Just to hold the anchor down," - I had this image of Ron Burgundy being held by the blazer flaps - classic !!
The ending was a scream ! - doodle doodle c**k - lmao

Excellent mate

[TPK Stories]

Excellent tale DLP...loved it.

[Avinash]

The devastating effect on the poor animal was the only irreversible thing which happened out of that impact. Your imagination is celestial David.

[Marie]

Seven lost hours, as I suppose time reversed itself along with everythng else. I supppose you couldn't use phrases like "true as the stars above" either, because there'd be no way of knowing when their courses would be reversed.

[R Smith]

nice tale David, that would make life pretty interesting i think, the possibilities of everything going backwards is alarming at the least, well done :)

[MomzillaNC]

Quite an adventure in this one. Will everyone now age backward?

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

That feeling of never knowing the purpose of your being would hit me hard in this scenario, well done, made me think!

[Barbz]

Perhaps the truth, in what you say is something yet to come. As I had heard, onlyt yesterday. Too close to earth ones come. The devastation it would bring, to earth, and all that be. My hope is that it's nothing, we will-ever have to see. Imagining all the turmoil, for us, and those we love, who haven't any knowledge, of what goes on above. The actions of my dog, the truth I wish to speak, he acts, before an earthquake, like he is going to freak!! doodle-doodle c**k....lol....too funny Sir David.......so enjoyable, yet again.....Barbz

[Vishuddha]

Another delightful and amusing adventure! Such a curious life you lead! Can't tie you down, as this poem clearly demonstrates. Thank you and, a doodle-doodle-c**k to you too, sir.

[Valentine]

This one I reviewed on the other site. I do not think I would relish floating around in space not knowing when or if ever I was going to land. You made me wonder though, just what would happen if one of those did smash into the earth. Scary thought. Nice tale. Kathie