This post by Mary Lee reminded me of a poem I wrote (in 2006! Time flies…) which I thought I’d share for Poetry Friday. If Buzz Aldrin’s visions for space travel are realised, perhaps there will one day be more postcards from Mars.
G’day!
I thought I’d write to say
I landed safe on Mars today.
I’m glad I packed my winter gear
because it’s freezing cold out here!
Mars looks a bit like Uluru,
all rusty red – and rocky too.
The wind is dry and very strong.
It whips great storms of dust along.
There is no grass or even trees,
just so much dust it makes you sneeze!
It never rains. It’s much too cold!
The clouds have turned to ice, I’m told.
While I am here I want to climb
Olympus Mons, if I have time –
or zoom my rocket up instead.
Wish you were here!
From your mate,
Red
© Kathryn Apel 2006
First published with alterations,
in Comet Magazine, Issue 1, 2007. All rights reserved.
If you zip and zoom your way to Write. Sketch. Repeat. you can read more poetry posts for the week. Don’t forget to send a postcard!
Kathryn Apel 
I’ve been looking for a poem to pair with the MG adventure novel SECRETS OF THE DRAGON TOMB, which is set on Mars. This is perfect!
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Well, I’m glad I could help, Laura. 🙂
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Love the lively pace…really zooms through space…like the time that’s been flying since you wrote the poem…Such an upbeat, optimistic poem on which for me to call it a day–a Poetry Friday:) God bless you, and thanks for the happy ending!
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Thank-you CB. 🙂
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I think Buzz Aldrin would approve!
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Yay!
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I like the details about sneezy dust and ice clouds! The illustration complements it nicely.
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Thanks, Tabatha. Every time I read that sneeze line, I can hear the class who performed it at the Eisteddfod all those years ago, with their disjointed line, as if building to a dusty sneeze. ‘just… so… much… dust… it… makes… you… SNEEZE!
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