THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNICATION
Atop the entrance to
The Forest Hills Post Office
There is a terracotta bass relief sculpture
Done in 1938
Of a topless woman
Holding a carrier pigeon and a clock
Most people walk right by her
As they are busy trying to send
Or pick up mail
Some things or some people
Are destined to be ignored
The other night while watching
"The Doomsday Machine" episode
Of the original Start Trek series
For the fiftieth time or maybe more
(Don't ask me why)
I started to focus on the crew woman
At the beginning of the show
Who passes by Captain James T. Kirk
On the bridge of the USS Enterprise
Blocking him for a brief moment
If you blink your eyes twice
You would most likely miss her
Why is she there?
Like so many others you see
In the background
Walking the corridors
Of the starship
Going places
Supposedly doing things
You are not meant to
Think much or anything about them
However for whatever reason
I'm not sure if its because
She seemed disconnected
From the danger at hand
(A solar system has been destroyed)
Holding on to a tablet and a pen
I wondered who she was
I started to search for her
Going to various websites
With no luck
It's like she didn't exist
But finally I found something in
One of the Star Trek sites
Listing her as Crew Woman 13
She had apparently appeared
In another episode
"Amok Time"
Wanting to know her name
I found:
Unknown actress
A mystery to everyone but herself
At least the sculpture
Atop the entrance
To the Forest Hills Post Office
Has a name:
"The Spirit of Communication"
