Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 24 (December 1999).
I was on Mars the day the Earth exploded
a new star giving the news above the horizon
and I stared in shock and then waited
for news that the war was won
One of those aliens smiled in its alien way
and said You’ve really done it, no?
and I could not deny it, as they say
the aliens preferred it so
I kissed my five fingers and I rubbed them
My eyes cried and looked back to the sight
seen through a curtain of dust, a hem
of yellow air slowly fading the night
I’m glad it’s all over, it said
while it licked at my salt and put rocks
on its chin and on the plate was its bread
and all the stars in a box
I nodded and stared at that place
It was dead now, would be forever more
Poor souls; these aliens came from space
and took away heaven and ruined our war
Now the alien touched my elbow
in its painful alien way,
because it was time to go,
the alien said, it was time to pay
Poetry copyright © 1999/2000 by Gryffyd Eamonn Dempsey
Artwork “Mars” copyright © 1999/2000 by Dave (Zozzy) Thwaites
