How I Joined The Justice League! Poem by Denis Martindale

I was working in my laboratory last week and suddenly I saw a light bulb appearing to get brighter and brighter. I switched off the light and waited a few minutes, then I got a ladder. I climbed up, removed the bulb and put a new bulb in instead. I got down the ladder and switched the light back on. Immediately the same thing happened, but this time I couldn't turn the light bulb off. Sure, the switch worked and it was definitely off, but the new light still got brighter. I looked around for the fire extinguisher, just in case. Before I could do anything, every single light bulb went crazy. Lights flashing on and off. Then a beam of light from each of these pointed directly at me, as if intelligently controlled. Before I could move, I was struck down and I passed out.

I woke up in a hospital bed. Wire cables attached to my body. Power draining from me every second, yet being restored every second. I looked up and saw a man behind a glass window just yards away. He told me to stay calm. That hardly ever works with me. Immediately the power increased. The wires melted away and I stood up and walked towards him. He left that room as fast as he could and just in time before the power destroyed the glass and then the whole room.

I began to think that beyond the room I was in there would be some army or police officers with guns to kill me. So I sat down on the floor and waited for someone to talk me down, so to speak. A few hours later and the power had fallen down and my body no longer shone as before. I could see clearly once again. I stood up feeling completely normal... Then three armed men burst into the room, they were shooting directly at me. Their bullets never even reached me. They vapourised and disappeared a few feet from me. The men stopped firing and retreated out of the room. I stayed where I was because I knew that eventually they would kill me. No point trying to escape or defending myself.

A strange woman then walked into the room and showed no fear whatsoever. She explained what was going on. I said nothing because I realised my life would be at risk. She stood up and told me to follow her. So I walked across the room, then out of the hospital. I heard strange noises behind me. I looked back and saw my footsteps and the scorching burn marks there. She said that this was normal. So I knew there were others like me. I couldn't understand why my clothes hadn't been scorched as well. I looked down at my hands and noticed my watch was still working and wondered if that luminous dial had caused this situation. Was it some magnet for radioactive power?

The woman walked ahead and then pointed to the lake in the distance. She told me what I must do to stay alive. Cool down there before you explode like the others did... So I walked into the water and everything changed yet again... Steam surrounded me suddenly. Then I felt drowsy yet not quite asleep and the lake covered my whole body. Underwater. The bubbling continued for an incredibly long time until night came. When the bubbling stopped, I walked out of the water and towards the woman. Good, she said. Now it's time to introduce you to the others we managed to save. You're the strongest Powerman of them all. Perhaps you can be the leader of the team: The Powerman Force. And that's exactly what happened... They call me Powerman Alpha... and now, just a few days later... I'm the latest member of the Justice League!


Denis Martindale February 2019.