This piece was originally inspired by the Keep America Beautiful public service announcements with the crying American Indian weeping over the pollution of the land. It's also inspired by by various spacescapes I saw as a child, particularly Don Dixon's and Chesley Bonestell's, and the visual pun is a nod to Dali.
I commissioned Christina Sng to write a poem about this artwork. She liked this piece so much, apparently, that she wrote three.
1
PLANET IN A GHOST TOWN GALAXYby Christina Sng (inspired by Keep the Universe Beautiful) The seas, They reflect red light Into the skies. Swabs of crimson Smeared schizophrenically Across the surface Of the bland gray planet, Oddly alone In this ghost town galaxy. We fly through Its thick atmospheric skin, Caught in the smog We choke. The seas rage like lava, Smacking us
With red rivulets, Wet, And the sky rocks |
With a strange thunder, A shudder, as if something Is stirring, asunder. We dart back into space, Sensing danger – a twister, A runaway hellraiser. The planet swivels, Turning a lone eye Embedded in the dust At us – unwanted visitors. And the giant orb, Red with bloodlust Yanks us Back into the clouds, Fast Toward its magnetic core Till we plummet Into the crimson sea, And realize too late It is a mixture Of acid and blood. |
2
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THE INTRUDERS by Christina Sng (for Keep the Universe Beautiful) They did it again. This time on my planet, Leaving their shrapnel And other jettisoned trash Scattered like bones in a park After a group picnic, the grass Drowned and withered, Sullied by drivel and mud. Later the crows and maggots Crowd around to feast, Cracking the marrow Of long-dead creatures, Their flesh previously minced And mangled beyond recognition. Of course, we don’t do that here, Not on this desolate planet. Now I rise from my skin, My eye and aurora Travelling Into the thick vacuum Of space, where I hover, gargantuan, Blocking the path Of that tiny metal box. |
They spit fire at me, And I, outraged, suck them Into my bottomless core, Crushing them against The singularity of my soul. Hark, what an implosion! A stirring of the gullet. Black-lettered mud. Descending back To my beloved planet, I open the ground, cleaning up The mess, letting my stomach Slowly digest. Then, quietly, I return To the depths, to rest Within my undisturbed nest. |
3
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KEEP THE UNIVERSE BEAUTIFUL by Christina Sng After jettisoning Their deadweight scrap metal, The Voyager 13 left The planet CX24 Jubilant And bound for home. Ahead, a spiral storm loomed Above the horizon, red and pulsing; Like a wormhole to another world. The pilot hastily Reprogrammed their route, While another appeared, Standing vertical, hung Center in the universe. Twin Concentric rings; almost ornamental. The crew watched spellbound, Jaws fallen, and clenched in fear As within the maelstrom center A town-sized eye Slit open the merriment With its chastising glare |
At the mess They’d made on the planet It was assigned to protect. Holding unblinking The gazes of the horrified crew It pulled the ship Through its maw; Event horizon Of an uncharted black hole Punishment For those who abused The universal rules. While they were Crushed to pulp Their single unified thought Was that There wouldn’t be anything Left of them to bring home. |
Write to Christina and tell her she's great; or visit her website.
In addition to Keep the Universe Beautiful. I commissioned Christina Sng to write poems for The Sad Girl, Resurrection Man, and Indifference.
Email to Frank Wu
Image (c) 2001 Frank Wu