Pg. 45
Poetry by Jill Trade & Joshua St. Claire
One Last Perfect Night
closing eyes to kiss
all of Earth’s breath becoming
a gentle spring rain
lubricating the hinges
to keep his lips from rusting
vacuum energy
silent snap of the airlock
while leaving the craft
sweeping all of the space junk
under the magic carpet
dark side of the moon
what we refuse to see when
we refuse to look
vulnerably blindfolded
every touch and sound heightened
anticipation
the tractor beam’s pull slowly
lifts me off the ground
gravitational constant
you and me everywhere
supervolcano
blanketing Mercury with
steely lava flows
AI program convincing
its coders that it can’t think
false data prints out
moon rover intercepted
mission compromised
hibernating colonists
one wakes centuries too soon
need to find the seeds
this dehydrated ice cream
won’t last forever
crimson Sol huge overhead
farmers sow wheat on Titan
flares signaling life
on the red hypergiant
songs from plasma throats
the illusion of distance
traveling through the wormhole
the East Wind quiet
cherry blossom holograms
blooming every day
raking digital petals
into my recycle bin
quantum coherence
the scientists beginning
to download her brain
malware infects emotions
learning to love all the hate
the swoop of an owl
the tentacled diplomats
of Canopus III
the prey turns on each other
predators watch them scramble
three-body problem
the only solution is
a cataclysm
choreographed orbiting
shadows waltzing together
almost lifelike skin
eager smiles and low moans at
the lovebot’s firm touch
synapses on high alert
sparks fly on all cylinders
unseen travelers
the away team bringing back
mind-control microbes
countless zombified beings
mindlessly marching along
Phobos shattering
into myriad dust motes
Mars—the ringed beauty
angels singing a hymnal
galactic radio noise
fetuses in jars
lining the walls as they chant
wolves in sheep’s clothing
Reticulans confused at
the Terrans’ dearth of genders
fluid momentum
being pulled by the jet stream
in all directions
the perfect precognition
of deep space navigators
Aquarius sends
cherry blossom bouquets to
Cassiopeia
one last perfect night on Earth
future Venusians hand in hand
Jill Trade & Joshua St. Claire
This dynamic poetry-writing duo is fast becoming a literary force to be reckoned with, both individually and in tandem. See their respective author bios.