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The fields unplowed, the cars at rest,
no rush to school, no changing shifts,
but as the Earth turns round to face
each post-apocalyptic dawn
a chorus breaks from shore to shore.

No spoken word, nor beat of drum,
nor flute, nor grand orchestral score,
but as the Earth spins into day
the birds all pause to sing in praise
of rain and sky, of egg and nest.

Eagle and wren, pigeon and owl,
crows in the trees, geese on the wing,
each as the Earth slides into light
uplifts their voice in canticle
to moon and sun, the greening world.



Mary Soon Lee is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association and a three-time winner of both the AnLab Readers’ Award and the Rhysling Award. Her latest book is How to Navigate Our Universe, a collection of astronomy poetry. Her website, cryptically named, is marysoonlee.com.
Current Issue
16 Sep 2024

A whale soars over Brooklyn. Clouds spread in streaks over the pale blue sky like cold butter. And the whale cleaves right through. Dar spots it from his perch on the rooftop, smoking a contraband cigarette. At first, it looks like the whale is just playing. Bobbing in and out of the clouds the way calves do during their migratory season. But the whale is too large to be a calf; it casts a shadow over the entire block as it glides directly overhead.
there’s a word—but it’s gone, stolen, seized in the raid; the others have it now
rain / tinged with lavender, mild scent / of rot and freshness.
Wednesday: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older 
Friday: Shadows Rising by Rohan Monterio 
Issue 9 Sep 2024
Issue 2 Sep 2024
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