I went for a walk with Stanley on Mars
but he didn’t get on with the fancy cars

the first head-turner
was Sojourner
perched on a ridge without a murmur
Stanley barked and went bounding over

then there was Curiosity
its solar arrays in a haze of luminosity
Stanley responded with animosity
went at it with murderous velocity

and Opportunity?
at first they seemed to get along beautifully
but I look back now on the whole thing ruefully
it started well but ended brutally

Perseverance?
not adherents
Stanley responded with incoherence
didn’t like its general appearance

what can I say?
I had to tempt him away
with whatever treats I had in my pocket
and drag him back to my dustbin rocket

these Martian walks get stupider and stupider
I guess next week we’ll be trying Jupiter