Syria, a world dying
Stylites returned to it crying
"Above it all you shall find peace"
So on to poles they began a flying
Quiet life on a pillar of stone or wood
Quest for enlightenment for those that could
Ignore its harshness and monotony
Quit a world they no longer understood
Many came to see this sight
Millions blamed it on their plight
As plagues and violence decimated all
Media moguls further flamed this fright
Korea, Malawi, and even Canada had it then
Kind of madness that mostly affected men
And spread beyond the poor or devout
Killing hopes left unspoken
Great ideas soon after arose
Gaining a cure to all the world's woes
Became an obsession to all
Global despair sunk to unheard of lows
Exciting discoveries soon heard by all ears
End to plagues, violence, and all the other fears
Syria itself became a joyful land
Ecstasy too over the interstellar frontiers
Calmly though some did remain
Crazy men now with their poles in Spain
People now amused rather then scared
Cackling at their lack of brain
But now these mad men go
Because their infectors told them so
Victims of a Y chromosome infecting plague
Brought by a pet an alien had kept in stow
They do not care, above it all more than ever
In their minds they now ascend
Never to return to the hated ground
Copyright © 2003 by Thomas R.