Poem: "The Loving Embrace of Night"
This poem came out of the April 2021 Crowdfunding Creative Jam 100. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Fuzzyred. It also fills the "Physical Touch" square in my 4-4-21 "Aspects" card for the Genderplay Bingo fest. This is the linkback perk poem for the June 1, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl.
The Loving Embrace of Night
The Ice People live
within the frosty skin on
the Night Side of the world,
their skin the same pale blue
as the ice in which they live.
Everything in their lives
is slick and smooth as they
glide through the tunnels.
It is always dark there.
Dark means safe.
They have eyes, barely,
enough to warn them away
from dangerous light and
sense meaningful colors,
but little more than that.
The Ice People live in
a crystal wonderland
that they can hardly see.
Their world is defined
by touch, the feel of
each other's skin as
they cuddle close.
* * *
Notes:
A hot eyeball planet is tidally locked close to its star. The day side is a burning desert. The night side is a solid icecap. Anything living on either side would need extreme adaptations to survive the harsh environment, which makes burrowing a great strategy in both places. Between the two, a twilight ring holds meltwater and probably more diverse lifeforms. Because one side is always hot and dry while the other is always icy, the differential fuels violent storms. As water evaporates from the edge of the desert, it rises to form clouds that rain over the twilight and snow over the icecap.
Ice is typically clear, white, or blue, but can be any color due to inclusions.
Animals in extreme climates have adaptations for cold, dry, and otherwise inhospitable conditions. Burrowing is a tactic that protects against many hazards, and there are traits that assist a subterranean life.
Gastropods such as slugs and snails live in a wide range of environments. Some of them are among the photosynthetic animals. These aliens are black like solar panels.
[To be continued ...]
The Loving Embrace of Night
The Ice People live
within the frosty skin on
the Night Side of the world,
their skin the same pale blue
as the ice in which they live.
Everything in their lives
is slick and smooth as they
glide through the tunnels.
It is always dark there.
Dark means safe.
They have eyes, barely,
enough to warn them away
from dangerous light and
sense meaningful colors,
but little more than that.
The Ice People live in
a crystal wonderland
that they can hardly see.
Their world is defined
by touch, the feel of
each other's skin as
they cuddle close.
* * *
Notes:
A hot eyeball planet is tidally locked close to its star. The day side is a burning desert. The night side is a solid icecap. Anything living on either side would need extreme adaptations to survive the harsh environment, which makes burrowing a great strategy in both places. Between the two, a twilight ring holds meltwater and probably more diverse lifeforms. Because one side is always hot and dry while the other is always icy, the differential fuels violent storms. As water evaporates from the edge of the desert, it rises to form clouds that rain over the twilight and snow over the icecap.
Ice is typically clear, white, or blue, but can be any color due to inclusions.
Animals in extreme climates have adaptations for cold, dry, and otherwise inhospitable conditions. Burrowing is a tactic that protects against many hazards, and there are traits that assist a subterranean life.
Gastropods such as slugs and snails live in a wide range of environments. Some of them are among the photosynthetic animals. These aliens are black like solar panels.
[To be continued ...]