in my sleep
i called forth the aliens.
i slept
and my sleep
was angry and vengeful.
i dreamed the aliens
and the aliens appeared.
they were neither
angry nor vengeful.
they did not have to be.
they were from the future;
their weapons were powerful
and their ways were a mystery.
they flew thither and yon,
zapping many with their
weapons of power
for reasons that were a mystery.
i knew those reasons, of course,
for i had dreamed the aliens
and they had answered my call.
those who were zapped
deserved to be zapped,
and the aliens’ power
was so mysteriously great,
not a single innocent person
was accidentally zapped.
the enslavement of humanity
was brief;
we honestly were not worth
the trouble.
our work quality was poor
and we complained endlessly.
one day, not too long
after they had arrived,
the aliens zapped a few last people
who really did deserve it
and left earth behind,
to go we know not where.
one more mystery among many.
“why did this happen?”
everyone asked,
everyone who was not me.
i know why
but i’m not telling.
the aliens came from the future.
they have power.
they are a mystery.
in time,
you will know
what you need to know.