Red Light District

After Isidra gathered
her senses,

she called her boss.
He in turn

called the security chief
who initiated

evacuations to the shelters.
There was no police force

on Mars,
not what one normally associates

with police---
no weapons whatsoever

were allowed
except for those

the whites flooded
earth and the earth’s moon with.

The only thing resembling weapons
on Mars was explosives used

for mining the moons
of Jupiter and Saturn.

How this monster
was going to be stopped

with beyond anybody’s
comprehension.

Isidra nursed
her mental wounds,

feeling responsible
for Beto’s death.

She thought
about the Martian,

what have we
gotten ourselves into

she thought pensively out loud
to herself or to anybody who would listen

as the face on Mars flashed its red
sickening light about.