By Rogers Dry Lakebed in the Mojave
at the flight test centre at Edwards Air Force Base
a chemist works on a space shuttle cooling system
He's trying to remove the oil from
anhydrous ammonia
Fingers crossed it seems to be working
But hang on...
An odourless mixture slowly forms before him
Its consistency is that of pre-ejaculate
As a joke he gives a co-worker a pint of it
When his colleague asks for a refill
he knows he has a product
Dan Wray - accidental inventor
of the transparent slippery substance
marketed as Astroglide
A firework display - the biggest in the county
Meet the man behind the festivities
on the 4th of July
Hardened crusts of discharged matter
Ceilings above no longer molten streams
Now empty gutters where there once was magma
The barren cavities of Interstate 15
The sun falls upon him through the crack
of a skylight
"Teachers cannot truly transfer wisdom
or knowledge to students but must
interest and excite students regarding
new ways to see and describe the world
in which we live"
- the educational philosophy of
Dan Wray - accidental inventor
of the transparent slippery substance
marketed as Astroglide
A firework display - the biggest in the county
Meet the man behind the festivities
on the 4th of July
He returns to the Mojave
to explore the lava tubes
He wonders if we'll one day
live inside them
when we find them
on the moon
---
featuring: Michael Parker - lead guitar