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