Dear Aliens:

Welcome to Earth,

these talking mountains and hills,

these breathing oceans and creeks,

where glass holds up heavy skies and

steel knocks us down to the ground.

Welcome to Earth,

these countless colors and cultures,

these resonant races and religions,

where we treasure our national identity yet

we are called names like yours.

Welcome to Earth,

shared and loved by some,

torn apart by others,

where we try to live our lives today and

where our peace could shatter tomorrow.

Welcome to Earth,

ninety seconds before midnight,

ten seconds closer to the day our world ends—

where the clock ticks like a bomb and

tension grips the air like smoke.

Dear Aliens:

Do you see us, hear us?

Do you know us, feel us?

Do you find a land alive—

a land so beautiful,

a land so colorful,

a land home to so many?

Or do you find a land gone—

a land once so beautiful,

a land once so colorful,

a land once home to us…

a land destroyed by us?

Dear Aliens:

Welcome to Earth.