Godzilla
Columbus
1985
On the second try, I made it to Ohio to do a reading at the Thurber House in Columbus. A snowstorm grounded my first attempt. I got stuck at the TWA hub in St. Louis. I called Michael Rosen, the literary directory then at the Thurber House who asked, “Where are you?” When I finally made it there, we had some extra time after the event. So, Michael took me to see the new Godzilla movie, Return of Godzilla. We are about the same age. He grew up in Ohio, and I grew up, not far away, in Indiana. We found we had a lot in common. We both had been looking forward to the return of Godzilla, and we especially liked the part where Godzilla, the Godzilla that is a Godzilla suit worn by an actor, destroys the toy infrastructure of Tokyo, ripping through the sparking power lines, elbowing the tall buildings, and stomping on the elevated railway tracks. We both agreed, later, that that was the best part of a Godzilla movie always.