It Came In the Night

It came in the night

I was sound asleep

When a flash awoke me

From the land of sheep

I went downstairs

Opened the back door

My cat rushed in

And crouched on the floor

There I saw

The object of his fear

A huge space ship

On a new frontier

I rubbed my eyes

And pinched my skin

But the UFO was there

When I opened my eyes again

Then I heard some munching

From the kitchen door

So I took a peek

And there rustling through my drawers...

Was a whole family of

What I can only describe

As long limbed martians

A four-alien tribe

Their skin was blue

Eyes big and black

They slurped and munched

As they made a snack

On the table were

Stacks of toast

Bacon, cheddar,

And rib eye roast

Excuse me m'am

The father asked

Could you do for me

A little task?

Could you fetch me

A glass of milk

Made by the udders

Of a zoptolirk?

I said that instead

I have milk from oats

And from jersey cows

And free range goats

I don't know any

Of those beasts

The alien said

Head down in defeat

They ate their meal

In a few big bites

Then jetted off

And took their flight

The only evidence

Of their stay

Was the pile of dishes

And my lawn in disarray

I sometimes wonder

If I'd dreamed it all

The lights a mirage

Puppets on my wall

Why I still think aliens are real

Is because my cat is scarred

As he still refuses

To venture in the yard

Comments

We Pretend

We pretend that we'll live forever That tomorrow will bring something better We pretend we're not made of stars As we roam the streets and bars We pretend we'll never die That our kids won't ever cry Over the loss that is our end Every student, teacher, friend Everyone we've ever known Has a constellation they call home When the moon comes out at night I look to them to see the light To all those who did pretend That their story would never end But on some nights, breezy and clear I see the stars and they feel near I can grasp one and hold it in my hand As it takes me to another land We pretend this earth is all there is to see Yet the stars and crickets have spoken to me We pretend we'll never die Because we truly won't To someone's eye

Lost in Rio

Jesus looks over The lost souls and bones below In the jungle sun To witness such beauty And such devastation God painted with one brushstroke Merry men sing Holes in their shoes The dark night lit up By police sirens And the crescent moon Bats flail around Like me, lost in the jungle Eyes glaring all around I hope they're monkeys Or jaguars I hope I can keep a piece of This country with me Safe in my pocket It smells like tropical rain And feels like The clam shells Washed up on the shore It tastes like fried bananas And heavily salted steak Sounds like seabirds cawing Samba on the streets And looks like a page From a storybook About parrots and palm trees Of finding a golden treasure A magnificent, uneasy place When she sun goes down So do we Leaving the night To the creepy crawlers And innocent stray cats

Miles Away

I refuse to sell my heart, not for twenty-five cents The auction is closed, ladies and gents I’ve already sold my eyes, when they caught sight of the streets So now everyone can see the beauty of my Italian retreat I sold my tongue for gelato, feeling so young Letting the wild berries dance around on my tongue I sold my feet when I traveled to see our Holy Mother in gold Like a saint on a mission, I’ll walk until I get old I sold my ears when I heard beautiful Aida open her lips Echoing through the theatre in which the ancients used to sit But I won’t sell my heart, it is still free For my heart belongs to God and not really to me My heart aches for home, too many miles away Yet for now I am here and I will live for today Yes, I sold my eyes to Italy; it’s all I can see How I wish you were here seeing these treasures with me I’ll try to buy back my sight, taste, and ears too So that I’ll be able to share these memories with you

Olga's Poetry & Thoughts

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