Welcome Home From Mars – And I’m Still Not a Martian…
Terra Firma
Oh how I’ve missed your trees
Harsh winds and warm breezes alike
Grasslands and mountaintops
Farmlands and the setting sun
To take a step, and then another
Without any encumbrances
No pressure suits or sealed helmets
Security setting turned to off
Nothing here on earth to fear
Wide eyed I’ll stare
Without radiation fears
And if I tear my trousers, then so be it
I’ll mend then
Instead of dying of suffocation
And a landscape in any color
Except Martian red
A place where things grow unassisted
Water flows from underground
Life and sounds from all around
Deep breathing
Just because I can
Oxygen isn’t rationed here yet
Nor is anything else
Like pets or children
Families in space aren’t permitted
Not in the plan
To sleep without worry
Limbs twisted beneath mounds of blankets
And perhaps a partner
The touch of another warm body
Warmth of the sun
A bonfire in the backyard
Falling leaves and gnarled branches
Changing seasons
And rain
Leisure time that remains unscheduled
Even in a Martian storm
Solar flare, or asteroid drill, or worse
Every moment was fraught with peril
Iron oxide dust storms
Tawny skies
Unforgiving geography
Inventory and innovation
Problem solving meant the difference
Life or death
It’s no way of living
I’d call it survival at best
And then the journey
Days turn to weeks
Weeks to months and then years
And the cold never ends
Life searching for life
For minerals and water
Fame and fortune goes to the adventurer
That’s what the brochure said
A six year tour
Most of it spent on the ride
Realized that all I wanted to see
What I needed to see
Could be found through a telescope
Preferably from inside
With the heat turned up
And the windows open…
Author’s Note:
There is always talk about human beings leaving earth to visit or even colonize other worlds; with Mars being the closest, maybe it will be the first. One angle no one ever talks about is what those early colonists will miss; that is until now.
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I can’t imagine a life without trees. All the things on Earth you so well described are often taken for granted, given no thought. A six year stay on Mars would certainly make us appreciate life here a lot more. Your poem is a real wake-up call, Ralph. Well done.
I thoroughly enjoy Sci-Fi poetry and hope you continue to fill these pages full. Thank you Ralph. Jamie
Wow! The kind of poetry I like, and what a topic!
One of the things all the moon-walking astronauts noted was the awesome desolation, and Mars is equally desolate. The Moon walkers were very appreciative of the wonders of Earth and were glad to return. Coming back from Mars may not be possible for years. I imagine that many will be unable to tolerate it.