New Worlds to Laud It Over

Andy lands on Odious 1

for the first time in his life
and doesn't realize

there is such poverty
in the universe.
"You mean there's folks
who've never flown beyond
their own solar system?”
he asks.
He’s like a missionary
setting foot on a primitive land.
His only regret is
that he didn’t bring along
a supply of hologram watches
to impress the natives.
Burnt-out domes,
trash-strewn parks,
laser-bullet holes in every wall,
it’s sure not Eden III.
And the locals
stare at him so sullenly,
like he’s an invader,
here, not to conquer,
but to brush up
on his superiority.
Andy asks some guy,
“What do you do
for fun around here?”
“Watch you leave,”
is his reply.

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in New World Writing,  Dalhousie Review and Blood And Thunder. Work upcoming in Hollins Critic, Redactions and California Quarterly.