Aniara
Aniara
...the sweeping curve of space.
The Earth is aflame,
chaotic and windswept
by hurricanes and tornadoes.
All life must learn to live
in this harsh new climate
or take the next space elevator
to a luxurious transport
ready to deliver them to Mars.
Nothing grows on Mars
except for a tiny, frost-resistant tulip.
It is a frigid, red desert
and poor substitute for the Eden
we were born to inhabit.
Who are we
if separated from the places
which make us human?
And who will we become
if cast into space
by chance or circumstance
with no sun and no moon,
untethered from the forces
which give birth to us
and provide meaning?
Who could imagine that this very flight
was doomed to be a space-flight like to none,
which was to sever us from Sun and Earth,
from ‘Mars and Venus and from Dorisvale.
~ from Aniara by Harry Martinson
