back from mars

when I got back from my
trip
to mars, things were different.

people were odd.
the sky looked bluer
than what I remembered.

it was nice eating real
food again.
tired of those little tins
of canned ham
and tuna. creamed spinach.

tang.

I walked around in a strange
other worldly way.
using big steps,
not used to the gravity
of earth.

I was able to scratch
my head
and other parts of my body
that had
been itching on account
of those sweaty
lumpy space suits.

boy it was great to be back
home.
my girlfriend greeted me
with a big kiss,
which nearly made me faint.
I thought we were broken
up on account of the lack
of communication,
the gamma rays and what not,
but no.

she said she saw with her
telescope, the big
heart
that I drew on the red planet
with a shovel, writing
our names inside.

absence does make
the heart grow fonder.