They came on a cool summer night when the moon was full
They landed behind City Hall in their module
Everyone was scared to d**h when they saw the flashing lights
Everyone came out to see what fell out of the sky
People brought their guns and their cameras and homemade bombs
People drove up onto the sidewalks and neighbors' lawns
They stood and waited for Martians to pop out of the pod
A tentacle with an eye on the end emerged from the hatch above
The eye swayed slowly above them from side to side
In an hour the crowd was completely hypnotized
Unearthly music filled the air like downy milkweed seeds
Until each man and woman fell to their knees
A door like a drawbridge opened and touched the ground
And the creatures moved through the people without a sound
They handed presents out to everybody there
They were so beautiful no one could tell what they were
When the world learned about their heavenly heirlooms
They were worth too much money to keep in their living rooms
So everyone donated them to the Municipal Museum
And a monument was built on the spot where the creatures from outer space
Had been
Had been
Had been