Gort 2006

[twoleftfeet]

Sharp suit, tailored to deceive the eye,
distorts his real dimensions.
Firm handshake, held too long,
labours to conceal his dark intentions.
Stiff, robotic walk as he moves towards the mike -
like a regimental swagger,
but more the stagger of the newly-wedgied.

Ivy league condescension
at odds with XCI IQ.
A Klingon brow,
with stick-on frown of concentration
struggles to contain
a misanthropic tongue with
Malapropic tendencies.
Myopic saucer eyes
stare into space in
search of comprehension.

Klaatu dictates tactics to his ear-piece
via the soft bump
beneath the smooth jacket,
just one of many tone-deaf roboteers
who stumped up for a tune,
pre-election.

The World's press face his music -
his eyes dilate, a pause,
his mouth pipes up with
"Klaatu barada Nikto"
- which translates roughly as
"We do as we damn well please".
Applause.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

*Gort was the robot/sentinel in the 1951 sci-fi film "The Day the Earth Stood Still". It was a kind of cosmic policeman with the authority to
destroy aggressive planets.
Klaatu/Klatu(?) was his humanoid Master and had good intentions,
unlike my counterpart.
When Klaatu is shot, the heroine has to repeat the words
"Klaatu barada Nikto" to Gort to prevent him destroying the Earth.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456/

[mick]

Loved it. "swagger - stagger", "Misanthropic tonue with malapropic tendancies". Don't know what XCI IQ is . Really strong ending.
Nice one
Mick

[pseud]

Don't know what XCI IQ is

91?

(Roman numerals)

[mick]

Doh!!!!

[barrie]

Loved this. I wonder who was speaking to him - Klaatu Rove? If he wasn't wired as claimed, then why, when he seemed to be in full flow, did he stop and say words to the effect of, "Just let me finish", when no one audible or visible was attempting to interrupt him. Made the 'debate' worth staying up for.

"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." - Good ol' George!

'Ivy league condescension
at odds with XCI IQ.
A Klingon brow,
with stick-on frown of concentration
struggles to contain
a misanthropic tongue with
Malapropic tendencies.' - My favourite piece of the poem, especially the last two lines, excellent.

A sinister caricature indeed.

Ausgezeichnet -

Feldmarschall von Rumsfeldt.

[twoleftfeet]

Thanks Mick and Barrie.

I started this after watching the Panorama program about the Bush
administration's suppression of the climate change debate.

Mick
There was a rumour that Bush's IQ is 91, but it turned out to be a hoax
- hard to believe or what? I had to look up how to write it in Roman
numerals (I thought it would be "VIVC". Doh!).
Apparently the "Ivy" in "Ivy League" is actually "IV" - honest!

Barrie
The original plan was to put an implant straight into his brain, but the
bulge in his trousers would have been a dead giveaway.....

Cheers
Geoff

[barrie]

Right man, wrong situation. I thought it was about Bush's debate with Kelly in the run up to the last election, when a 'box' was clearly visible under Bush's jacket - It was explained away as a crease! Fits that scenario to a tee - Karl Rove telling him what to say!

Ah well.

cheers

Barrie

[twoleftfeet]

Barrie,
No, you were right about the situation with the alleged transmitter -
but I only saw the bit you describe where he appears to be talking to
himself - I didn't see the debate..
The poem is just a hotch-potch of observations that I tried to tie in with the "all-powerful robot" theme from the sci-film film.
The TV documentary merely gave me the impetus.

Geoff

[Bombadil]

So, what you're saying is: Gort was the Decider...


Very astute and unfortunately apropo.



Cheers,

Keith

[twoleftfeet]

Keith,
I wasn't sure what you meant by "The Decider" - had to google it.
Yes - the civilisations that created Gort had relinquished
authority to him.
I suppose Bush is the Decider , in his eyes at least, although his
roboteers might disagree.

btw The "top search" was this
http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

Cheers
Geoff

[anniecat]

Thought it was VG and almost straight away clicked to the film by your poem

And i have seen that film loads of times, i still think it's a good un,
(for it's age)

Barada Nikto

Means.. Do as you darn well please. AC.

[twoleftfeet]

Thanks, AC.
It's one of those films that I can't resist watching when they repeat it.
Michael Rennie is very dignified in the lead role, and of course there is
the sound of the theremin.

Cheers
Geoff