Detritus
by Mary Soon Lee
The glove from a vac suit,
freeze-dried rice rations,
a holster, an arming wire,
laminated images of family,
pebbles from an alien planet.
A motley miscellany salvaged
in the aftermath of combat,
carefully cached in duffels
as if these humdrum mementos
were relics from a holy war.
And what did the aliens keep?
Metal shards from our starships?
Recordings of the wind chimes
that topped their palisades?
Feathers from fallen nestmates?
Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but has lived in Pittsburgh for over twenty years. Her latest books are from opposite ends of the poetry spectrum: "Elemental Haiku," containing haiku for the periodic table, and "The Sign of the Dragon," an epic fantasy with Chinese elements, winner of the Elgin Award. She hides her online presence with a cryptically named website (marysoonlee.com) and an equally cryptic Twitter account @MarySoonLee.