Stillborn Planet
by Marc Mangel
Burning swiftly and surely slowly it
settled into the hills
bounding a horizon
Gracefully yet awkwardly shining
silver
in rising orange
they slid down
one…another…carefully
guiding themselves
between slightly green rocks.
with hindsight and and with foresight
yet somehow
myopic they viewed
a new
world
quiet somewhat
still born
waiting to
be burned and
blasted
by shining silver gods
that would imitate
themselves
that could make this stillborn
world thrive
with canals and parks
and fine luminuous
cities
more myopically they did their
science in softness and in glee
for they had
found
a
new
home. a soft, red green
luxurious home.
newly formed
and
slowly floating away from
its star
floating
into the abyss
of great death
burning swiftly and surely it
slowly settled
into
pocked and worn
hills pricking above a
horizon
awkwardly without a remnant of
grace they
climbed
down
short and squat and beige
to learn about dead life
on a stillborn planet
February 1973