Rogue Planet

They had promulgated Congress for

The first day of the year,

It would bite into vacations

At the time they most occur,

It would clog the airborne ferries

Overflow the season’s trains,

‘Whose idea was this, anyway?

You’d think they’d have more brains!’

 

But the seven thousand members duly

Packed their travel bags,

Posted credit for their spouses,

Sent away their dogs and cats,

For a summons from ‘The Lorder’

Was not lightly overlooked,

When he said ‘You will attend!’ they

Hurried off, their passage booked.

 

They converged within the Capital

By the Acropolice,

And they filed past the machine guns

In that city known as Neese,

While a rocket called ‘Galactic’

Towered high above the dome:

‘This begins to look perturbing!’

‘Yes - I wish I’d stayed at home!’

 

Once inside the giant building

That had been a mausoleum,

Now reclaimed at last for government,

Where tombstones still were seen,

The members settled nervously

Each in his numbered seat,

Their sense of pride was tempered

By their memories of defeat.

 

It was less than fifteen years since their

Corsairs regained the ground

That had been the scene of violence,

Rape and mayhem, all around,

With the citizens assaulted

From their heads down to their feet,

By the battle-weary misfits who

Had ruled each tawdry street.

 

‘We are here to beg the question,’

Said The Lorder, as he stood,

‘Do we execute these henchmen,

Do we lock them up for good?

There are thousands in our cellars,

Overflowing all our jails,

Do we risk a massive breakout or

Provide the coffin nails?’

 

Then a mutter filled the Chamber

From a crowd of bleeding hearts,

They had vetoed execution,

They were men of many parts,

‘We may not commend the slaughter

Of so many evil men,

If this Chamber votes for butchery

We’ll be as bad as them!’

 

So the arguments were entered

Back and forth throughout the day,

There would soon be an election

A new Lorder, anyway,

Neither side gained the advantage

The hostility was rife,

Though there was another option,

Banish all of them, for life!

 

‘We can send the ship ‘Galactic’

With a thousand at a time,

Take each shipment deep in space

So they will suffer for their crime!

We can drop them on some planet

Where they’ll perish from their dearth…’

‘Do you know of such a planet?’

‘Yes! The Old Rogue Planet, Earth!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Mark]

The coup de grace of this great poem is the realization that the debate in question took place either long into the future, after Earth had already spent her wad and was consigned to the self-inflicted sorrows, OR long into the past, and today's earth is but the product of that short-sighted decision. The parallel to Great Britain's treatment of HER societal dregs--ship them to the other side of the planet, to Australia--cannot be ignored, and might even (in the latter case) have been some kind of racial memory at work! Another unforgettable, ironic, macabre, rib-tickling head-scratcher from the master of teaching verse.

[Mark]

Just gotta applaud another reviewer's comment: "A mash-up of Blake and Shelley, with just a touch of Dr. Seuss thrown in..." Perfect!

[Tate Morgan]

Hahaha not much different from the days when the did for all purpose do just the same with Australia and Englands criminal element. LOl We just fry em here breakfast lunch and dinner.We still attest to the Protestant Pilgrim ways of absolution. We use to cast them weighted into water if they float they are guilty .Cast out by the water.If they drown they were innocent>

[Rob Santana]

Mr Paget,haha master writer,need I say more. How are you my friend. Hope everything is well. I've been sitting in limbo not knowing what to write. But Im back. Do you have any books left of your gothic writings?

[David Scott]

Your mind is always looking to give a litttle tickle at he reader. Enjoyed the read! Thank you for sharing it with me. You are educating me every poem!

[Marie]

Great idea...send them all into space...great twist at the end...Earth being the planet to hold criminals...

[Clayton Bardwell]

"We can drop them on some planet
Where they’ll perish from their dearth…’
‘Do you know of such a planet?’
‘Yes! The Old Rogue Planet, Earth!’"

Ain't that the truth! I think some of the bleeding hearts came with them.

[emmy bon]

nice...

[Anonymous/Anjaan ( Yash..]

Beautiful....

[Shreyas Tripathy]

"We can drop them on some planet
Where they’ll perish from their dearth…’ "

This sets the tone so well ...
Very nice ... I've always enjoyed your poems because of the fact that they makes me travel into a completely new world and makes me discover the different horizons I never dreamt of !!
BEAUTIFUL