Why I Want to Colonize Mars
A collection of poems
Why I Want to Colonize Mars
I want a world that's clean, that doesn’t wallow
in layers of mythology, a world where
you can eat an apple without the burden
of guilt and punishment, where it’s only
a piece of fruit, and not theology.
I want a new world that's really new,
not one made over by exterminating
Whoever was already there, a new world so far away
from the old world as to be beyond its reach.
I want a world so fragile that no resources
can be spared for building bombs and weapons,
a world where everyone depends so much
on everyone else that no death can go unnoticed, no
person unmissed. where no life can be destroyed
for anything so grounded in fear or hate
as nation or race or religion. On Mars, the spiderlike
arms of trees will hang heavy with rich new
red fruits forbidden to no one.
I want a world that's clean, that doesn’t wallow
in layers of mythology, a world where
you can eat an apple without the burden
of guilt and punishment, where it’s only
a piece of fruit, and not theology.
I want a new world that's really new,
not one made over by exterminating
Whoever was already there, a new world so far away
from the old world as to be beyond its reach.
I want a world so fragile that no resources
can be spared for building bombs and weapons,
a world where everyone depends so much
on everyone else that no death can go unnoticed, no
person unmissed. where no life can be destroyed
for anything so grounded in fear or hate
as nation or race or religion. On Mars, the spiderlike
arms of trees will hang heavy with rich new
red fruits forbidden to no one.
This manuscript is complete, and currently seeking a publisher