Fairy Lights Are Astronauts Too
Illustration by Malaika Astorga
Fairy Lights Are Astronauts Too
The pink fairy lights are throwing their heads off
Off with their heads!
say the plaited electric strings
Off with their heads… Where do you think we are?
… Down the rabbit hole, we don’t think so
They are heartless these strings
beating only to the pop-pop-pop
of pinging fairy heads off
bursting them into midnight gardens
whizzing, knotting through star tree tops
skimming neighbours’ hairbands
Spinning like lit yo-yos, reckless
looking like dizzy dizzy rose shooting stars
as they flow through blackness, rocketing
into outer space and the strings call
Go to Mars and don’t return
but if you do then bring us crater dust
some red lava, a lavender vest
and some anti-gravity powder
because we have always wanted to float
we think we want to fly in the sky like you
so bring us back the moon actually
and we can rejoin and decorate
the better globe instead
C.M. Hanger is a poet.