our secret chamber

and then the door opened.
velta didn’t wait; she just slid through
i couldn’t get my legs up over the edge so easy
she was already far down when i did
nothing i could do
arms up and in front how stupid at this speed
can’t help it the primate’s screaming
feet kicking trying to find the sides but there’s no sides
whooo over into space fluff down into soft black
crawling like a water bear on a microleaf
working it until i get somewhere
a light a light ‘velta!’ i shout and dimly hear her respond
‘look at this!’ she shouts back so i wriggle over that way
slowwww she’s watching a picture in the black
1952 or something i don’t know in the woods somewhere
and there’s a camper made like a shiny mirror
‘down here’ instructs my velta and i struggle down to the next picture
some sort of pleasant day on pre-earth all steamy and smoky
beautiful lizards hoppy-hoppin’ in the big leaves
velta snatches at me to see more and we slide along the soft black
seeing people and things that cannot exist
medieval dreams or something some pleasant some bloody or boring
‘where is this?’ i say out loud as she taps me to point out an impossible creature
‘i do not know’ she says ‘but i could watch these forever’
i could see what she meant like a voyeur in the life factory
nobody cgied these scenes it’s too much work
aliens! one picture shows an unbelievable face looking back
like we’re looking with the same look on their unbelievable face
‘how can we get out’ i wanted to know now because the picture scared me
‘we just got here!’ she laughed vellie-style which is to say: cowardy-boy
but i knew then what i know now
our secrets of the chamber will wear thin
and then it will be too late.