Alien, Poor Alien Poem by David Harris

Introduction:
For centuries now Aliens have visited Earth we assume to study our culture. Then way back in 1958, Sheb Wooley in America told us about a strange little Alien who came to earth to join our culture and play Rock and Roll. His name was the Purple People Eater. His story was continued by J P Richardson (The Big Bopper) in Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor. It seemed now that the Aliens were getting into the swing of things. Of course, that didn’t last long and they went back to observing us. Trawling through some of my lost files the other day I found that the purple guy wasn’t the only one who wanted to play Rock and Roll. There was another one who will remain nameless for contract reasons and latent sex appeal, and this is his story I am about to recount. He visited us in the late 1970’s.

David Harris - 13 September 2009


There stands the ragged troubadour
dusty guitar in his hands
serenading the crowd
gathering around the hot dog van.
He persists between the jeers, yells
and insults thrown at him.
Then he tried to pass the plate
only to have it tossed back again.

Next he tried the cinema queue
the taxman had hit them hard;
serenading wasn’t easy
to a group from the Palace guard.
Their bayonets were at the ready
and boy they were sharp.
Oh how he wished he brought a band
with soloist on a harp.

Last, he tried the bingo hall,
but they didn’t want to know
leaving like a Buffalo heard
trampled him into the snow.
By now he’d had enough,
no more could he stand
and went back to his saucer
stamped made in Japan.

Alien, poor Alien
didn’t he know
Earth is no place to land
to join a Rock and Roll show.


21 June 1979