live long enough and everything
eventually offends; even
the mockingbird caught naked
having lunch with huckleberry pie
on the tropic of cancer,
wrapped in a stale mission
tortilla where all
the tropes, themes,
and backward masking
go to die

back on the dead planet
we eat banned
books with hot sauce
because we like ‘em
extra spicy,
and a few bad words,
naughty bits, or historical
regressions keep
the pages turning

these days the Martians just laugh
at the war of the worlds
in print, radio and films
because they long ago
realized Earth ain’t so great
anyway, and it’s got nothing
they want