Resigned to hunger and loose teeth, you have one second chance. Work hard, they said: your children will inherit a planet. The metal skin judders as it hits what passes for atmosphere here.

Where you land is littered with broken machine parts. Phobos waxes overhead. Home is a bright star.

If you like it, my bio might read: Joanne Merriam lives in Nova Scotia. Her writing has appeared in dozens of periodicals including Baltimore Review, Haikuniverse, and Pictura. She owns Upper Rubber Boot Books, known for the first English-language anthology of solarpunk, Sunvault. You can find her at joannemerriam.com.