Saturday Morning

We’re up early ~

almost earlier than when we
get up for school (as a rule)
spilling out of our rooms
and settling-in
for a morning of cartoons,
with our cereal bowls cradled
over-flowing in our laps
each loaded with spoonfuls of
pure, white sugar, perhaps.

Later, it’s “Chiller Theater”
and a whole twisted stream
of black n’ white
toxic-radiation fall-out mutations
on Channel 13
make us scream, or quiver
with Sci-Fi delight.

After a while,
we’ll all go outside -
in a minute, you bet!

But wait -
the concerned family Doctor
hasn’t even noticed
the animated brain tissue pulsating
behind him ~

yet . . . !
*This is the genius of the modern age: the gross availability of sugar-saturated cold cereals and an endless stream of really bad grade B science fiction movies! We were totally wired for the day after a couple of hours of UFO-radio-active creatures ‘du jor’ ushering the civilized world to the brink of disaster. It was Cold War emotional Boot Camp and we were eager enlistees.

We didn't mind the long-shot showing us the cardboard rocket hurtling on a fishing line through the terrifying void. We forgave the awkward swamp-creature shredded rubber suit and the embarrassingly, torpedo-pointy bras on hysterical women. (It was their constant, good-for-nothing screaming, fainting or sell-out trip "I've sprained my ankle and can't go on you'll have to carry me!" that disgusted me). All things considered, I turned my head away or covered my face with my hands along with millions of other American kids; heart-pounding and mind-racing with anxiety perhaps in spite of the truly bad drama.

Static, black and white on a 14" screen was never so delightfully scary! Poorly dubbed Japanese horror films were never so satisfying as on a Saturday morning with a bowl full of Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes spilling into your lap.

*excerpt from 'Station Wagon Wars'~ growing up in the 60's by cTanner