before the tigers lived on cold mars the man cat dreamed of his people

then tigers were only a yellow and black idea

it howled above the rust red sand at night how was the man cat to sleep

dry eyes make no tears so the moonlight is hard on the skin

martian flowers bloom only in hot houses and still they die early

the man cat prayed to the tiger god ares for water

and in the cloudless dawn the ice moon melted above an iron field

purple streams ran through manmade canyons and filled with the dead

was ares really a god or some demon wanting a new domain

desire is a meaty blossom that can eat any brain

tigers like weapons for harvesting life rose from the water laughing

they smelled people and tore the door off of every house

the man cat said to ares stay your army you can live inside me

but sly ares a wild animal saw in this a trap

he said happy child you want to be my tamer but I can eat you

and the man cat said tame or no tigers must have gardens

a tiger without a garden to plant its life in dries up too soon

ares sat still for some time there was no moon remaining

and the sunlight investigated every side of this small god

the fire in his eye was to destroy him and all tigers

atop the tower the wind smelled of dead insects no one was laughing

ares said will you have this sad shell of a deity

and the man cat said if i can have your name you will roar through my mouth

ares rose above the man cat and melted into him

the people were all dead roaming tigers listened to weeds by the road

were they to be the inheritors of a cold hard sphere

on the hot breath of ares man cat their names lived like flowering grass

black rye crab stew spring eddy sour root cicada dog fish

a daydream like an early thunder cloud shaves time off of the morning

every blue tiger eye was a sea in the red noon