ONCE

Written for Ray Bradbury, author of Martians Chronicles,

 on the occasion of the first landing on Mars

Once,

past the tomb

of this gray gypsum moon

alien spaceships chased

the craters of the sky

and Mystery wore robes fluorescent green.

Then,

through eons of red sky and earth

breathed the spirit

of the ghost people

who flew the stars

and measured the universe

with candid chasm eyes too true

and whispered songs of sighs

too sorrow-soft for ears to hear

who swift and light

sparked the night of our innocence.

Till

the quests of leaden savage arrows

slashed gossamer shadows

to pierce the night of our dream, and…

a lost ghost people died.

#RayBradburyandMartianChronicles #MartianLanding