marzguy

In Earth Time 1974 A.D. – A collusion of human beings broadcast a description of humankind and its place in the known universe. When received and platted, the pictorial message describes – Our understanding of mathematics. Our general shape. Our molecular composition. And our place in space and time. It was called “The Arecibo Message.” And it was beam-cast toward a cluster of star systems 25,000 light years away. In Earth Time 2001 A.D. – A pictorial crop circle mysteriously appeared in Hampshire, United Kingdom, replicating the visual translation of the Arecibo Message. Almost. The platted-being within the design was shaped…differently. The molecular composition depicted in the design was not of carbon, but of silicon, Suggesting that intelligent life evolved of minerals. Smart rocks. The questing thinkers at SETI denounced the authenticity of the crop image. Like the answering of a door before a knock could ever be heard, The “Arecibo Answer” had arrived thousands of

Haiku Midnight Snack © 2023 Mark Pearce The cathedral beams fall into chasms below, as polar caps weep. It takes one to know one. It takes two to tango. Three complicates things. The question is – do muskrats prefer cocoa or would they rather dance? It used to be that you could say complex things in a very few words. Species – they come and go as hundreds of human generations pass. Live in a way that extinction lists don’t reveal your proclivities.

Insult to injury, is what it was. The man who ruled the world Confined in his box and Absconded for criminal gain. Oona cried at such a diseased plot Inflicted upon herself and other dears – Sydney and Geraldine, Michael and Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, And Christopher. Charlie was quite the focus in his day. His image evocative of tragedy and warmth; Slapstick – with empathy. The little tramp stepped in front of the shot – Upstaging young children in the Baby Cart Race – And launching himself into cinematic eternity. He laid this claim to celebrity, Presaging the problems inherent With actors before a camera. This juggling bob conveyed so much without a word. The soaring score and retreating silhouette Pried tears of fulfillment and loss As a darkness crept in from the screen’s edges. There came a time when troubles infected the continent And men in brown shirts began to target their neighbors And vilify lineages. Windows were broken, fires ignited And human

Suppose you have a stump right here That doesn’t voluntarily slink away But becomes something mighty bothersome Unsightly and eating Freetos all the time Could be Sycamore or a Piss Ant Elm That’s crawled into your baptistery Where quiet introspection is the rule And salty crumbs the foul exception So you revolt at the expectation of Further protuberance in your life And decide on a course of action That doesn’t call for celestial intervention But just a big stick of dynamite And stooping down to light that fuse You get the jitters knowing that splinters can hurt too So you go to the second best option, Which is letting your little brother light the fuse. ka·bloo·ey Well that’s how the dictionaries spell it But the dictionaries don’t translate The incessant ringing in your ears After the masterful deed is done And so if you ever get the hankering For that stump to reappear in your life someday I am afraid you are mistakin’ in the chance ‘Cause that stump has left