3Dated September 22, 2004. This is an experimental piece in which the future is examined at an even greater temporal distance from today; in other words, it's a historical perspective on something that hasn't or may never happen. I call it "speculative historical fiction", and it amuses me to no end.
An Analysis of Post-Invasion Culture, Chapter 3
The Farmer's Folly The fence blew down The seeds were sown
And all around
The seeds fell back to Earth
Each speck of red
In darkness bred
A monster for every hearse.
The plants had grown
But we were not the reapers
The farmer cried
His two sons died
Beneath their wrapping creepers.
This simple post-Invasion children's rhyme was said to have originated over the Sands of Bosco (originally San Francisco- see Appendix A), where the first strike took its toll in 59 P.I. Many examples of post-Invasion literature, inevitably all focusing on one common subject, have been noted as appearing around this time, including "The Collected Volumes of Qnimble the Survived" and the infamous "Hammer VS Nail- Earth Military Conduct During the Martian Invasions" by Berry Wilden.
Ironically, no such works have withstood the test of time as well as "The Farmer's Folly", and numerous attempts have been made to rework and even add passages in order to customize it for newer generations. Most watered-down versions substitute the line about monsters and hearses for less disturbing symbolism, the most common being "A copper in each purse", in an attempt to condense the subject of the Martian attacks into the rigid rhyming structure without alarming its target audience.
It is not hard to guess the appeal of this deceptively simple poem. The metaphor of the farmer is a quaint, nostalgic image, and one that has been longed for by the suffering P.I. human generation ever since interstellar warfare became a reality. It is most appropriate when you consider the oft overlooked fact that it was a team of Earthians who were responsible for the first Martian, bringing unwanted life to the previously barren Red Planet on a routine visit (this was sometime before interstellar warfare was even believed possible by Earth's government, and it was not until many thousands of centuries later did the repercussions of this event become a reality. See "BXX07 Polar Lander- Appendix B" for more information).
As a final thought, the dubious last line of 'their wrapping creepers' was probably the result of the human tendency to mistake our tentacle-laden mobility pods for our actual bodies. This is laughably shrugged off by most members of both races (as is the term 'monster'), but the misinterpretation remains part of the original body of the poem, and NeWorld officials have surprisingly neglected to eradicate this potential social breach. It is evidence of the willingness to forgive on the part of both Earth and Martian sides that the poem is still enjoyed today.
"The Farmer's Folly" therefore remains not only the longest lasting post-Invasion piece of literature to date, but also a relic from a time when human and Martian were totally opposed to each other in every aspect of society. Now such a thought seems ludicrous, and if not for the presence of the anti-Martian dirtsider population (rapidly decreasing thanks to NeWorld Social Breach Prevention tactics), "A Farmer's Folly" would be the only reminder of a past best forgotten.
Prof. E. G. Baume, Head of NeWorld History and Literature Studies
InterSoCult Academy, Lawrence Crater, Martian
870 P.I. (Post Interstellar)
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