The Gorko Gazette

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8.16.2026 6:54 AM

The Day the Earth Stood Still and 1 more by Grant Vecera

The Day the Earth Stood Still

With those enormous headphones
crowning his pasty-shiny bald dome,
it isn’t tough not to see
a little green man incognito—
in spite of the bronze twin cab 4×4
he parks, I shit you not,
in a handicap spot.

And the way he greets Kate and Ron,
like straight out of 1951—
that stiff politeness—and it doesn’t help
that he always signs in as ‘Mr. Steve.’

Yeah, I look. Hell yeah I look.

And as he lopes along our indoor track—
no greetings exchanged, no friendly gestures—
just that empty, far away glare
as he pumps his hand weights
and sweats in his unnaturally reptilian way.

And just when you start to lose interest
he veers off to the chrome railing—
and peering out at the darkening lot—
does this thing with his radium blue
elastane-packed, cricket legs—
not quite like a dog taking a piss—
but more like an imposter signaling
for reinforcements from Altair VII.

Stingray

Eric lived in Eagledale, which was abstract
to Mike and me, and so I don’t recall
ever wanting to visit him wherever the hell—
but his sky-blue Stingray had a cool sissy bar
and he could ride wheelies and was generous
when we stole Snickers and red licorice
from the QuikPik where that freaky geezer
always blabbed about Jesus as he rang us up—
including the day, it being so hot, he gave us
cold bottles of Faygo: orange for me,
grape for Mike, and red pop for Eric.

Whatta’ fuckin’ weirdo.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Grant Vecera teaches at Indiana University Indianapolis and at Butler University. His work has been appearing in literary periodicals for the past three decades. More recent appearances have been in The Gorko Gazette, Samjoko Magazine, Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, and Merion West.