Intergalactic E-Mail Poem by Sonny Rainshine

Greetings to all.
The expedition continues to go well.
I’m lying here on a hillside
on Project Earth and
though it cannot compare with
our beloved Cassandra II,
I must say it is lovely
and peaceful here.
I am surrounded by yellow plant life
that an Earthling poet once danced among
and referred to as daffodils.

The breeze is from the southwest
and tickles my beard.
A quiet peace embraces me
as I sit here writing.

You will hear more in
my official report,
but I can say that the
quiet respite I describe right now
is not the norm
for this lovely but fragile land.

Though I have (incognito of course)
interviewed hundreds of earthlings
who were as kind and gentle as any
Cassandrian, many are war-like
and confrontational.

Nations across oceans
have weapons capable of obliterating
all or part of the population.
All it takes is a push of a button.

The citizens of Space Station Earth
Engage in societal exclusion
of their own kind.
Citizens are penalized and isolated for
the color of their skin,
their religious beliefs,
their gender,
or even for habits of love
and affection.
Some have suffered and died

And yet, I see hope for
this land, as I lie here
gazing up into an azure sky
toward my Homeland up there.
You’ll recall that we too
once went through sad times,
dark ages. But we endured
and we learned from our mistakes.

I miss my home
and look forward to my return.
A flying insect that my guidebook
calls a monarch butterfly
has perched upon my knee,
brilliant wings spread wide.

Yours,
042806