This poem came out of the October 18, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from kelkyag and my_partner_doug.  It has been sponsored by kelkyag.  This poem belongs to the Monster House series, which you can follow through the Serial Poetry page.  The title of the poem is actually a line out of the Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever."  You may also enjoy reading about tachyons.

"What does this do, Grandma?"
I asked, pointing to
a strangely shaped gadget.

"It doesn't do anything, dear,"
Grandma said with a sigh.
"That's my tachyon compass.
Unfortunately, without a tachyon generator
there isn't anything for it to pick up or navigate by."

"So it's like a GPS without a satellite,"
I said.  "Too bad.  What about this one?"

"Freeze ray," Grandma said,
"but I think global warming
is causing it to malfunction somehow."
She pulled the trigger with a click,
and nothing but a faint cool breeze came out.

"Yeah, the handheld fans at the supermarket
work better than that," I said.
"And the shower thingie in the corner?"

"Well, that was  supposed to be a teleport chamber,"
said Grandma, "but building one of those
with this technology is like trying to make
a working radio with stone knives and bearskins."

I thought about that for a minute.
"I'm sorry our technology is too stupid
for you to work with, Grandma,"
I said as I hugged her,
"but I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too, sweetie,"
Grandma said, hugging me back.

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