The Zero Suite (9)

What to do till the sentinels come

Yes, astronaut and cosmonaut – report, indeed! Warn, if you can, your half-waking, half-sleeping planet! Tell them, if you can …

– Roy Thomas, Avengers #102

So how was Zero?
oh she was fine
did you have any trouble getting in?
no no

when we got home
Zero’s dish was empty
meat left unopened
in the fridge

the thunderstorm
had driven her outside
to cringe
under the garden shed

she had quite a lot to say
when Bronwyn ran out
crying and calling out
her name

it’s not that my mother
neglected her task
on purpose
she’d written in her diary

FEED THE CAT!
it’s just that her mind
now fills in blanks
with certainties

not doubts
there was a slight pause
before that “fine”
all I know is our cat

left alone
in the storm
my mother alone
in the fog of her brain


(11-23/4/18)

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Roy Thomas: Avengers #102 (Marvel Comics, 1972)

This poem first appeared on the webpage below:

Can Poetry Save the Earth? (Massey University: Our Changing World - 2018 Lecture Series, 31 May 2018)

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