In which the alien from "Alien" plays basketball
in space, no one can hear the net go swish-swish.
it strides onto the court. its mouths clash and drip
as its tail drags along the polished wooden floor.
the final boss of evolution. the perfect organism.
but a-tisket a-tasket can it make a basket? can it
dribble? can it dunk? can it sink a three? can it make a
free-throw when it gets caught traveling?
because it doesn’t know the rules. where it’s from
they don’t teach you how to dribble, dunk, or pass.
in space, no one can hear the net go swish-swish.
which raises questions. why is it on the court at all?
sure, it’s strong. sure, it’s fast. sure, it’s tall. but can it be
the perfect organism if it can’t play basketball?
Erica Leslie Weidner is based, in New Jersey, and based in New Jersey. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of underscore_magazine. When she's not writing, she's at her day job doing badass librarian stuff.
