That night before warping
Jim and Spock shared a dream
of two stone cold black dragons
facing them breathing steam
between dragons were waters
of pulverized Earth
and in black maw of one dragon
blood of Vulcan's red dirt
the dragons transformed
to dread Skylla, Charybdis
the pulsar rays deadly
the black hole infinite
then three others emerged
Skylla faced as Khan-Marcus
Nero's grief ravaged hate
as the face of Charybdis
they were trapped in the waters
the screaming war wind upon them
crewmen thrown from the vessel
the hull wrecked, helm broken
thunder and space lightning
false torpedoes and fire
volcanoes, brimstone and ash
leapt high as their pyre
when the war wind stopped blowing
grief wind rose as dread spirit
carrying the broken ship
with Kirk, Spock, crew in it
back to the monsters
as Nero-black-hole roared
and Khan-Marcus the hydra
malevolently gored
the remains of the Enterprise
and Charybdis then swallowed
and they were all falling
when suddenly, the hollow
hand of the ancients
Odysseus, red bearded
tired, shattered and wasted
from hunger, war, fear, dread
caught Jim's hand, who held Spock
who grasped lemon tree's branches
they held on there until
the monsters vomited
Odysseus jumped onto
the broken mast-keel
Jim and Spock found the Enterprise
renewed but unhealed
they extended hand to the hero
who looked so alone
without his fine warriors
whose war-souls were thrown
to the high house of Hades
for following this one man
who inspired great epics
as he sought his homeland
Odysseus grimly accepted
and they set out to sea
so they bypassed the years
restored to Penelope
her beloved lost husband
seven years early.
Thirteen years is a lifetime
ten years for a war
three years caught in hubris
that faded as each oar
of his ship became empty
unmanned, underscored.
Jim and Spock, upon waking
remembered the taste of the dream
remembered smell of the lemons
above screaming sea
remembered dragons and monsters
but forgot much the rest
content to find hands
entwined, wrist to wrist.