by Mary E. Lowd
Composed on Threads, 12/16/2023
That feeling when
Every possible thing
You could do seems too hard…
Except for writing poetry Continue reading “A Drop of Blood”
An e-zine about spaceships, aliens, science, memory, motherhood, magic, and cats.
by Mary E. Lowd
Composed on Threads, 12/16/2023
That feeling when
Every possible thing
You could do seems too hard…
Except for writing poetry Continue reading “A Drop of Blood”
by Mary E. Lowd
Composed on Threads, 12/16/2023
We make up rules
To help survive the chaos
But when the chaos
Changes the world
So the rules no longer make sense Continue reading “Follow the Rules to Ruin”
by Mary E. Lowd
Composed on Threads, 12/15/2023
We are all the cosmos’s dog
Companion to the universe
Small, short-lasting flickers
Of friendship
And exuberance Continue reading “The Cosmos’s Dog”
by Mary E. Lowd
A Deep Sky Anchor Original
The universe is a machine
For generating conversations;
When every possible conversation
Has been had,
The multi-verse will be complete. Continue reading “The Multitudinous Conversation”
by Mary E. Lowd
A Deep Sky Anchor Original
If you look under my skin
You’ll find a collection
Of several octopuses
Trying awkwardly to cooperate
To steer this human-skeleton-mecha-thingy Continue reading “Several Octopuses in a Trench Coat”
by Mary E. Lowd
A Deep Sky Anchor Original
My stomach is a confused bunny
Poor rabbit, hopping in circles
Weak and afraid
My brain is an angry cat
Stalking, lurking, judging
Ready to hiss
Ready to slash Continue reading “I am a Zoo”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Beyond Wespirtech, November 2023
It was so beautiful that the weight of it made her feel weak inside. She cried, and no one knew why. No one else could hear the music. But Brianna could hear it inside.
Brianna’s parents didn’t understand. They thought their child simply had an artistic sensitive soul, and perhaps, she was unusually susceptible to sunstroke. They tried to keep her inside on sunny days, especially in the middle of the summer. But Brianna craved the sun. It made her cry, but it also made her giggly and manic. Sunlight could make her happier than anything else — that voice whispering in her heart, rising and falling, raising expectations, holding out a moment longer than she thought she could stand, and then resolving. The music Brianna heard was the fabric of her life. Continue reading “The Girl Who Could Hear the Stars Sing”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Beyond Wespirtech, November 2023
The ship shifting into orbit woke Tara up, but she kept her eyes closed, listening to her parents talk.
“It always scares me coming here,” Tara’s mother said. “Your dad makes such beautiful illusions for Tara. I’m afraid some day that she’ll choose not to come home.”
Tara was curled up on the ratty old couch on the back of their starhopper’s bridge. It was a loveseat and not meant to be slept on; she barely fit on it anymore. Her parents were sitting in the pilot and co-pilot seats, right in front of the viewscreen that must have shown the emerald and azure sphere of Grandpa Brent’s planet, Sylverra. Continue reading “Summers on Sylverra”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Welcome to Wespirtech, October 2023
The girl was science; chemistry personified, manifested in a physical form. This is not to say that the other scientists of Wespirtech were lining up in a snaky queue through the Daedalus Complex halls to see her, study her, consult with her like she was some sort of oracle. At least, Keida didn’t think so. Her new roommate, Rhiannon, was too quiet, and serious, to draw that kind of attention.
No, it meant Keida could see chemistry thoughts as they formed in Rhiannon’s brain. The evidence was perfectly clear on her face; a look that bespoke particles and molecules moving, joining, breaking apart and reforming in an abstract space she saw, approximately five inches above her own head. Keida was afraid to interrupt. A single word from her might break the spell. All those invisible molecules would dissipate and undo hours of silent work. Continue reading “Breathing the Air at Wespirtech”
by Mary E. Lowd
An excerpt from Otters In Space 3: Octopus Ascending. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1 or return to the previous chapter.
Alistair’s orange striped tabby face appeared on the Jolly Barracuda main viewscreen. The entire crew had gathered on the bridge to watch his message. Alistair was wearing a navy blue suit that contrasted his fiery fur nicely, and two secret service greyhounds wearing sunglasses and wires stood coolly behind him. He looked very presidential, but to Kipper, he just looked like her brother.
“Congratulations and our sincerest thanks from all of us here on Earth to the brave officers on the Jolly Barracuda!” Alistair’s mouth moved, and Kipper wished she could hear his voice, but she had to settle for reading the captions beneath him. Continue reading “Otters In Space 3 – Chapter 34: Kipper”