Biking in rain I felt sharp cut
A metal spider? Spiked hail?
Thick blood kept flowing
Felt dizzy, stupefied, sick
Next morning floated above my bed
Late Saturday flew home from the office
Clumsy as a squirrel on a witch’s broom
Now I perform like most superheroes
Plug spaceplanes and cash royalty checks
Wave at grandmas who sweat in spandex
I’m pitched against smarter, crueler foes
Who come not to defeat but to kill me
I’ve almost died several times
This war never ends
Yet I’m still dull as my dishware
Supremely attractive but lacking a partner
Fine dining = weird food in small portions
I can instantly fly for the ice cream I love
Why doesn’t it taste the same?
I miss shouting for Penny’s oily coffee
Nodding to women who never glance back
Grinning at colleagues’ demeaning jokes
My friends claim I’m now an alien
More right than they know
Our standard enemies crooks and cheats
All such persist like flies and ticks
But then the needle ships arrived
Spacers who are not our friends
My job now is to watch them
But how did I become what I became?
What if the aliens created me?
Am I the traitor?
I will follow and observe
Strike the enemy when the fight begins
But I miss the old clarity
I miss myself