What is the difference between ordinary poetry and science fiction poetry? The answer to this question can be found in Tyree Campbell's poetry collection,
A Danger to Self and Others
. Science fiction poetry, when it's serious, has the entire cosmos to consider. And when it's playful, it has the entire universe to play with. On the serious side, take a look at Campbell's poem "Evolution," which opens the collection. Or you want playful? Read his poem titled "How the Solar System Really Lost its Tenth Planet," or "Garden Party." And did I mention it has dragons? - from the Introduction by Kendall Evans.
Itinerant
the next tree over
lends a view of the plains
what's out there
hunt and gather
settle here and there
oh, look, there's a river
let's follow it
settle here, settle there
move on
a lake, go around it
a sea, cross it
an ocean, explore it
an ice bridge
joins landmasses
to new plains
new rivers
new settlements
moving on
until at last
Hobo sapiens
looks up