The Dead World

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I walk the deserts of Mars,
Disappointed at the lack of Martians.

The probes told us there was nothing,
As did all those that came before me,
But still, I look.

Still, my mind scans the red sand,
For little green men,
Or bug-eyed gray women,
Or some blue creature with no gender.

It feels wrong,
To have a whole planet,
With all this land,
Soaring Mountains,
Dry river beds,
Snowy tundras,
And not a single soul to appreciate it.

I appreciate it,
And I pity it,
The way one might pity a friendly dog without a human;
All this love and beauty,
And no one to share it with.

Why did life not grow here?
Did the planet not wish it?
We’ve seen what humanity has done to Earth,
How our machines,
And cities,
And plastics,
Have polluted the oceans,
Burned down the forests.