came unto the city

under an evil star

they needed no fire

for the fire burned

within all of them

for you cannot give us

what we already have

the first glimpse

was always the most fatal

no one should feel responsible

for the whole world

by these signs

they knew they were home

the way his face yet reflected

nothing of terrible experience

like two trying

to become one

a shadow

of a vastness

such savage mockery

of the sea

to take the measure of its creator

who no longer remembered the creation

disposable and finite

and vulnerable

to be both receiver

and received

the sickness found

in the midst of beauty

for the price paid for the wonders

within was too high

the coded sky and the scaffolding

the burning speed and the stillness

neither the same again

neither could ever be the same

again

when i am weak

then i am strong

reentry like death

found in flame

beneath the stars

beneath the planets

alone

not alone

never alone

this failure

no failure

for love

Also by Jeff Vandermeer

ALSO BY JEFF VANDERMEER

FICTION

The Strange Bird

Borne

Annihilation

Authority

Acceptance

Area X

The Book of Frog (stories)

Dradin, in Love

The Book of Lost Places (stories)

Veniss Underground

City of Saints and Madmen

Secret Life (stories)

Shriek: An Afterword

The Situation

Finch

The Third Bear (stories)

NONFICTION

Why Should I Cut Your Throat?

Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer

Monstrous Creatures

The Steampunk Bible (with S. J. Chambers)

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

The Steampunk User’s Manual (with Desirina Boskovich)

A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff VanderMeer is “the weird Thoreau,” according to The New Yorker. He is the author of, most recently, Borne and The Southern Reach Trilogy, the first volume of which, Annihilation, won the Nebula Award and the Shirley Jackson Award, and was adapted into a movie by Alex Garland. He speaks and writes frequently about issues relating to climate change. VanderMeer lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife, Ann VanderMeer, and their cats, plants, and bird feeders. You can sign up for email updates here.

Newsletter Sign-up