came up the dark side of our new home

a world blown from green glass and tar

sharp edges, mountains pricking stars

it made me feel so alone/

her black face looked at a blushing moon

beacon called us from starburst sand

violet ocean turned the eastern horizon

we landed at long night’s end/

every direction was grandiose

long low valleys full of tiny black gems

two of our kind walked out to meet us

two who we’d counted as dead, gone/

only one smiled when they offered their hands

she was child-swollen in absence of man

these had survived this impossible beauty

this was the prophesied land/

they never explained why they hadn’t sent notice

they never explained all their silence

the longer i live in this exquisite blackness

the deeper i understand

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