Joseph Preston Kirk Apr 2013
PAIN PASSION AND PLAY
there will always be pain passion and play
but what really matters is what you think about at the end of the day
finding hope peace love and tranquility
call it lucky if you have that ability
but practice daily with humility
as without it there can be no civility
life is not taken given or achieved
never close your eyes or be deceived
life is always changing and growing
life is practice as you could never become all knowing
so keep a smile as you continue growing
and remember there's never enough practice to ever stop showing
something you cannot see or touch but still feel
so keep your chin up and keep it real.

Alien Nation
by Michael R. Burch

for J. S. S., a "Christian" poet

On a lonely outpost on Mars
the astronaut practices “speech”
as alien to primates below
as mute stars winking high, out of reach.

And his words fall as bright and as chill
as ice crystals on Kilimanjaro —
far colder than Jesus’s words
over the “fortunate” sparrow.

And I understand how gentle Emily
felt, when all comfort had flown,
gazing into those inhuman eyes,
feeling zero at the bone.

Oh, how can I grok his arctic thought?
For if he is human, I am not.

Note: The coinage “grok” appears in Robert Heinlein’s classic sci-fi novel "Stranger in a Strange Land." The novel’s protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, was raised on Mars by enlightened Martians, and he often feels out of sorts on Earth, where he struggles to grok (understand deeply and profoundly) earthlings and their primitive, often inhuman, ways. Keywords/Tags: Mars, astronaut, alien, primates, stars, words, ice, crystals, Jesus, sparrow, Emily, Dickinson, zero, bone, arctic, thought, human, inhuman

Martian Gothic (short)
Unique environment unique people.
Fifteen thousand metre mountain vertical south face.
Two pretty Goth girls stood on the edge.
One footstep fall to Martian plateau.
Three hundred metres ahead thirty metre layer of Cirrus cloud.
Terraforming worked brilliantly Earth like atmosphere.
Olympus Mons great holiday destination for East European adventurers.
Hanneke had waist length black hair,
Silge shoulder length red hair with lip piercings.
Both beautiful like the magnificent sci-fi film landscape.
Chance to hike,
enjoy stunning views after their Earth based Martian Geology course and field trip.

Oops all of a sudden we are shunning to come out
though our bird by design laughs all the way to Mars.
We don't want to because of a coronavirus bug
but it isn't an alien came out from the far
the monster broke out from our very thin air!

Come, see our space bird the spacecraft
hops up on to the solar world like a breeze
as if flying one tree to the other tree.
Hang on its yet to sing the story
from our epic album of technology.

As it crosses the trap the Van Allen Belt
it goes through like a seasoned pro
and blinds the moon on the first go!
Oh amazing what it sees on the next mo
a man-made bird in Mars landed its foot.

Our space bird spreads the wings
far from the Moon from the Jupiter
tweeting from our science pages at par
from the planet after planet raising the bar.

But now all stay home it's risky to walk far
perhaps we forgot the unseen hole is deeper
what's lurking nearby then the black hole afar.
Where the moon lits candlelight isn't by the stars
far from venus over the sea is closer to us!

Splashes of water to the face
in order to save face.

I don’t think I’m meant for this place
but maybe I’d do better in outer space
if Elon sent me to Mars where I can set up base.
up there would be no rat race,
up there I’d set the pace
and I would lead it with grace

then send me to hyperspace
to see where the chips float.