Last month, I participated in Pagetober, an even put together by indie comics creator, Gene Hoyle. The idea was to pair a writer with an artist during the Inktober, so that writer creates one page of writing, paired with a cooresponding illustration by the artist. I chose to write a long, narrative science fiction poem, with two stanzas per day. I was paored with an artist, but it seems that the art will not be completed (who and why are not important). That means that I’m left with a poem, which I will share here. Because of the nature of the challenge, this is still, very much a first draft. It is not as polished as the poetry I usually share here, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
Day 1
We live in peace and harmony
With our alien overlords.
Life is pretty grand here
—Really—
(Hail the Zords!)
They’ve put an end to conflict,
They’ve put an end to strife.
As long as I obey them,
They let me keep my life.
Day 2
The Earth, throughout its history,
Has been beset been beset by war:
Humanity’s sad legacy,
Oppression, death, and more
And so they came to rescue us,
From far across the stars
In stealthy spacecraft swiftly sent
Secretly to ours
Day 3
But we did not see them coming
So much to our surprise
One day the Zords, they just showed up
Up there in the skies
Panic spread across the earth while
Communication lacked
Our leaders with each other sparred
While aliens attacked
Day 4
By the time the UN met
By the time they treaties signed
By the time we launched our forces
We already were behind
The president of a Russia
The Chinese premiere too
E’en the American President
Fought ‘bout what to do
Day 5
Our nukes were pointed at each other
Instead of at the sky
Defeat was mutually assured
We all could have died
But the Zords they were merciful
As they began their reign
The people of the Earth they spared
Though they our leaders chained
Day 6
They marched them off to prison
Established hegemony
Dominion o’er all the globe
United, then, were we
No longer had we countries
Illegal were our creeds
A vassal to their empire
To provide for them their needs.
Day 7
Poverty has plummeted
Everyone is fed
And we all are healthy now
They’ve given us their meds
No matter our religion,
Our race or our country,
The Zords just see us as human
They treat us equally
Day 8
We hail the Pax Galacticus
Every day at dawn
No wars’s been fought since the day
The Zords did land, anon
And so it is on all the earths
Across the galaxy
They, too, at dawn do hail the Zords
In perfect unity
Day 9
But here’s a little secret that
We’re not supposed to tell
We despise our Lords
Those god-damn Zords
They’ve made our life a hell
Though the crime rate has plummeted
Murder’s about he same
Executions happen every day
Death by another name
Day 10
Strict adherence to their laws
To serve them faithfully
Cogs, we are, in their machines
We work eternally
From the time that we are able
Until the day we die
We manufacture parts that help
Those silver spaceships fly
Day 11
We have no time for leisure
We’re not allowed to date
They choose the optimal partners
With whom we’re forced to mate
And we know in us they’re breeding
Certain stock and traits
Intelligence is frowned upon
And loyalty is great.
Day 12
In another generation
Or maybe two or three
We will lose our way of thinking
Cattle will we be
Bred to be strong and true
Like upright-standing ox
No longer capable of thought
Not clever like a fox
Day 13
But their program’s not completed
And before it’s all for naught
We must overthrow our captors
While we’re still capable of thought
For years we’ve watched and waited
Looking for the cracks
Searching for a weakness
That we could attack
Day 14
The word went out in whispers
Across the factories
To create a network that could
Save humanity
Silently we plotted
Secretly we planned
Nervously we recruited
In each and every land
Day 15
The Zords were overconfident
They just did not suspect
Dissection or rebellion
They did not protect
Their processes and resources
Their factory and their lines
The means of their production
Had been ours all that time
Day 16
And when we realized what we were
Our consciousness we gained
We new then how to overthrow
Those who above us reigned
Randomly we’d sabotage
Some key certain part
Our game would take a while but
At least it was a start
Day 17
And that little seed we planted
Grew inside that spaceship’s heart
And exploded like a flower
In shards it fell apart
The shredded petals blooming
With fire in the sky
We cheered the light show silently
We prayed their end was nigh
Day 18
We knew the Zords would investigate
Carefully down the line
But with so many possible causes
We knew it’d take some time
Our agents were multitude
Worked in factories throughout
By varying our patterns
We took five more ships out
Day 19
And sure we suffered casualties
As our masters anger spread
Many innocents and martyrs
Soon did lose their heads
But as the Zords their fists did tighten
To try and close their grip
Many humans joined our cause
And through their fingers slipped
Day 20
Those embers burning in the sky
Falling through the dark
Kindled something in humanity
Rebellion now was sparked
In every factory ‘round the world
There was a saboteur
And none of the Zords’ punishments
Could our will deter
(For in our minds and in our hearts
We did their rule abhor)
Day 21
They threatened and the punished
They killed us randomly
It did not matter who we were
Innocent or guilty
But their actions were miscalculated
And when the people saw
That the Zords were fallible
Broken was their awe
Day 22
Humanity united
Around our sacred cause
The Zords whole operation
We put it now on pause
Our Lords no longer trusted us
To construct their fleet
They’ve halted production since
Us sheep began to bleat
Day 23
They called in reinforcements
While we did secretly
Build up our own arsenals
Pilfered from their armory
We pooled our common knowledge
Subtle is our tact
The last ships to come off from our lines
Programmed to attack
Day 24
We cannot sneak into the ships
But that’s ok, you see.
We control their flight from the ground
Hidden, secretly.
So we all do hail the Zords
We keep our heads down low
Obsequious, to not betray
The secret that we know
Day 25
We praise the pax galactaca
Each and every morn
We cheer the peaceful galaxy
E’n while planning war
And the executions’ stopped
As bowed of head go we
Though are minds are fixed upon the stars
Waiting patiently
Day 26
The Zords do carry on this farce
Protect the status quo
But we’ve intercepted their transmissions
So secretly we know
They’ve called in fleets from ‘cross the stars
From lightyears far away
To earth to come to wipe us out
To revolution stay
Day 27
Both sides are preparing now
For war both them and us
Quietly preparing
Publicly no fuss.
But tension’s running through the air
A tempest in our eye
For the moment of our freedom
Now is well on nigh
Day 28
And now their ships de-cloak above
And now the war’s begun
They’re bombs they’re raining down on us
With a steady thrum
But the bombing it stops suddenly
As we our switch do flip
And send a signal to their fleet
Bounced off each satellite dish
Day 29
Our program travels through the fleet
Like an arrow shot on high
Spreading sickness through their systems
As their computers die
The Zord troops down upon the ground
Fight us hand to hand
But we have numbers on our side
All across the land
Day 30
With every makeshift weapon
With every piece or scrap
We fight we claw we bight we gnaw
Repelling their attack
And me, just one small human
I can but do my part
To protect the planet from the Zords
I fight with all my heart
Day 31
And now the Zords are leaving
Once again we’re free to choose
But still I can’t help wondering
Did they win or did they lose
For we have learned a lesson now
About peace and unity
All the nations of the Earth
Live in harmony.
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A. A. Rubin 