you know
they say
just a short time ago
humanity entered
interstellar space
outside the bubble
of our shining sun

few seem to notice
really even care

there's no man or woman
hopping or plunging flags
on distant faraway lands
just a machine, gathering data
and things
intangible
to you or me

i guess that's no surprise
given the way we've treated
this place

crowding it with metals on rubber wheels
coal plants with giant top hats or
explosive mushroom hats made from
radio active rocks and things or
tons of knick knacks molded from
oily wells and burning stacks or
grocer shelves lined with seedless
fruits and other mutant creations or
chemical sandwiches for lunch
and dinner

all the while
marveling at
how far we've come

i hope we find nothing out there
no planet should be treated

like
this