Today we publish the 4th episode of World Space Week’s “A space poem a day”, by our World Space Week space poet Athos Athanasiou.
The Human God’s Lament: A possible future
The human race stood poised in thought
to enter outer space.
It seemed highly approporiate to
explore another place.
But life out there proved difficult
and interest petered out.
So for the next millennia,
we stayed on earth throughout.
And so in time the cats and dogs
learnt from their human masters,
the power of speech, the use of tools,
and philosophic answers.
And ways to build new cities up,
imparted from our guidance.
They picked up all the bad stuff too,
the arrogance and violence.
They did not need opposing thumbs
as many people thought.
With virtual tools they could control,
most anything they sought.
And when at last they learnt to stand
on two legs and not four,
they now could do just anything
that we had done before.
And what of us, where did we fit
inside this new world order?
Well at the start we fared quite well,
they worshipped us with ardour.
We were to them the deities
who’d brought this world about.
But we grew fat and lazy
and we never moved around.
And one by one we disappeared
until but few remained,
and these were placed in temples each,
observed through windows stained.
Our bodies no more did we need,
and so they atrophied,
But the science of the dogs and cats,
meant that we never died.
And so we sat and watched the world
that we had them bequeathed.
And saw both splendour and great woe
with every breath we breathed.
They proudly showed us wondrous works.
In building they surpassed us.
But with the same amount of pride
displayed their foe’s disasters.
Each faction had a temple grand
with human being seated.
And all believed that their’s was best.
The rest must be defeated.
The thing that that hurts the most to know,
that all these wars they fight,
are for the sake of us, their gods,
which they say makes it right.
And so I sit and watch them kill
in my name. They won’t listen.
Now and forever am I cursed
to see this tragic vision.
The cats and dogs have turned this world
into a living hell.
But I can’t hold them guilty
‘cos we taught them all so well.
Athos Athanasiou
A space poem a day – World Space Week day 1
A space poem a day – World Space Week day 2
A space poem a day – World Space Week day 3