In the following poem, printed with permission, he sets the stage for making unusual requests of the scientists who create wonderful inventions, and send them out into the universe. Or perhaps the final request is to someone else?
How does this poem speak to you?
Tuning In 2
By Duane Christianson
© copyrighted
I don’t want much.
The science news has told me
that real soon now in cosmic time
they’ll be picking up “I love Lucy”
in the Vega System on their TV sets.
And from what I hear all vibrations
made on planet Earth are still around.
So get in the lab
and make me a receiver,
Call it what you will,
a Crono-Geo-Acoustic Localizer,
and crank the volume up
on wrap-around big speakers
so I can really hear.
Once you’ve got
locations and all the frequencies.
I’ve got a list for you.
How about the first words spoken.
They are way past
pre-proto Indo-European
with “Let there be light,”
but I’ll take them anyway.
And let me hear Abraham
telling his relations
just how and where he got
the message to beat it
out of what’s now Iraq
for the promised land.
I want to hear Moses
drop the First Commandment
on his people
when he comes down from Mt. Sinai
after he broke
his first set of stone tablets
on their flinty hearts.
A reprise of Psalms by David
set to music would be nice
and worth recording.
I’d just as soon skip
listening to Jeremiah’s Jeremiads.
But how about King Herod
trying to con three Wise Men
from the East
into telling him
where to find the child?
I’d go for that
and a chorus
of the heavenly host.
But let me get one other
loud and clear,
that message, “Lazarus
come forth.”
There had to be
a major audience reaction.
And, oh, yes. I want to hear
Jesus loves me too.
No. No.
I don’t mean the music.
I can get that anywhere
on vinyl, CD or the Net.
I want the words,
the words,
the real words.
I want them
from the man.
