Mars
Dion Farquhar

Head snap planetarium sixth row IMAX
flying craters surround sound Philip Glass
body-tingling operatic arousal heart-pounding
then Robert Redford’s reassuring voice:
the triumph of teamwork, pan around
a lab big as an airplane hangar,
joyous robot-loving nerds.
tweaking their iron origami,
solar-celled machines slowly unfold their wings.

Cut to seven months later, giant monitors
ringing control room, a hundred hopefuls,
gazes locked, await the first signal.
You’re in, all choked up, remind yourself
Disney produced it.
Your brain stem’s been taken for a ride
tears sting your eye–
nothing like the beauty
of a dream come true.