The Aliens

The lights flickered about nine o’clock
A sure sign of aliens
The dogs took to barking just after that
Then whimpered off into the pasture
A green shaft of light on the octagon deck
A long silver tube about twenty feet tall
Descended from the night sky

The electricity finally went off for good
The smoke alarms played a nervous trill
Only the cats are brave enough to explore
Getting up and walking around in the dark
The green glow from the deck
Filled the living room with nauseous light
Then a scratching sound at the back door
Footsteps outside the window
Crunching on the rock driveway
Stumbling on the raingutter downspout

Trying to let them in
Only scares them away
The silver tube rides up the green shaft
Out towards Al Nitak in the belt of Orion
They are gone until next time
About a month from now
When the electricity flickers and the lights go off.