Long Hance Poems

Mercury Trio

[first stanza for Planet contest]


Martians, they don’t live here
Even astronauts keep clear 
Residing though in darkest places
Charred: the eyebrows on their faces
Up from underground they creep 
Resembling small asbestos sheep
Yikes they bleat at red hot feet

                            *

Meat and veg are not prolific
Eat it if it’s calorific
Roast Mercurian rat... horrific
Chance a glance and risk the heat
Usually, not much to eat
Rare, the morsel overlooked
Yet what there is... is over cooked

                           ***

Many miles through space to Venus
Earth is far more space between us
Risk those Martians haven’t seen us 
Cruise by Jupiter and Saturn
Uranus ain't what you’re sat on
Rush past Neptune on to Pluto
Yup, a planet... shows what you know