Of Emerald Earth

Grady McMurtry

25 May 1949

As space-borne fleets of Viking mariners

Swing round a world impregnable

To jettison each a cargo

Bomb shattering, irresistible

And space-marines with visored helms

Drop through the black

Of night, with strife that overwhelms

Upon the atom shattered wrack

Of worlds at war

So seetee sharded Adonis

Mills round an elder, wiser Sun

While astroids from her scattered hulk

Rust on the flame-scored plains of Mars

Now must we mark that cosmic war

When God-men stormed the Titan host

With atom fire—

Lest darkness fall

And Night engulf the Citadel

Of Emerald Earth

[11]