On some distant world

On some distant world
Which belches fire and brimstone,
Like a fiery hell.

Reddish orange world
Almost entirely gases,
Little solid ground.

A gaseous world
Far unlike the planet Earth,
Strange creatures float by.

In the swirling clouds
Like giant bell-jellyfish,
Great life forms slide by.

Drifters softly float
In the gaseous cloud banks,
On this distant world.

Hunters and killers
Feeding upon floaters and,
Eating all they kill.

Floaters slowly drift
Through hydrogen-rich layers,
Of an atmosphere.

Far distant planet
Not remotely Earth-like,
With mainly air, not land.

Soft rising floaters
Unaware of the sinkers,
Drifting far below.

Balloon-like sinkers
Drifting down toward the land,
Swept up on hot gas.

Swarmers are buzzing
Like angry bees that attack,
Anyone who goes past.

Swarmers buzz aloud
Signalling anger toward,
Hunters who dare near.

Hunters stalk swarmers
Intent to make a kill,
Yet wary of their prey.

Swarmers watch floaters
Being ruthlessly slaughtered,
By hungry killers.

Though slow to anger
When disturbed by the hunters,
Swarmers wreak havoc.

Hungry hunters watch
Ruminating swarmers,
Tempted … yet watchful.

Killers stalk drifters,
Floaters, sinkers – all about to die,
Nowhere left to flee.

A far distant world
More like Venus than our Earth,
Life and death go on.

A gaseous world
Sustaining many life forms,
Yet not life like ours.

Great balloon-like forms
Hunters, killers, and victims,
In this game of death.

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