IN A RED, SANDY DESERT



On a red, sandy desert world
Stand exotic ghostly trees
Limbs reaching to the sky
Like arms pleading for succor.

White slender branches
Looking like skeletal arms,
Raised, begging for relief
From the scorching sun.

Sand-blasted boulders
Are the only form of cover,
For any living creatures
In the near-endless day.

Tunnels around the boulders
Show where animals once live,
Or perhaps still reside
Ready to kill intruders.

Yet, as the burning heat
Almost melts their very flesh,
Human visitors consider
Whether to risk the tunnels.

Stranded on a desert world
After their starship crashed,
What other choice is there
To survive the furnace-like sun?

But as they enter the tunnels
Strange screeching rings out,
As giant arachnid creatures
Scuttle dreadfully toward them.

Two of the stranded die
Shrieking in pain and terror,
But the others escape the tunnels
Back into the scorching sun.

Soon, as daylight is fading
They all return to their ship,
Hoping to survive the night
Hoping rescuers will soon come.

 THE END
© Copyright 2021, Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

About this poem

On a red, sandy desert world Stand exotic ghostly trees Limbs reaching to the sky Like arms pleading for succor.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on June 24, 2021

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on June 24, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

52 sec read
1

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXBC XXXD ECEX EXXE XXCF AXXD FXEX BCFD XXXX XXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,042
Words 175
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3

Phil Roberts

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

7 fans

Discuss the poem "IN A RED, SANDY DESERT" with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "IN A RED, SANDY DESERT" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/103422/in-a-red,-sandy-desert>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    23
    hours
    36
    minutes

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem is called _______.
    A verse
    B rhyme
    C meter
    D rhythm