This next installment of Behind the Poems, “The Greatest Show on Mars,” originally appeared in Latino Book Review.
Come one, come all to see the amazing automaton woman.
See how she never cries, not a single tear in those eyes.
Step right up, prick her skin. Slice straight through.
See how she does not bleed. The wound gapes wide
open but not a single drop of red seeps through. Come,
come see the wonder of the new world. Come one, come all.
Come and see the greatest show on Mars.Gaze upon the amazing android lady. Try her out for yourself.
See how she does not even flinch. Slap and smack her
top to bottom. See how she remains still as stone. Ladies, gents,
kids of all ages. Come see her: The Lady of Steel and Cold.
Come try to break her bones, sticks and stones, they have no hold.
Come one, come all. Come and see the greatest show on Mars.Come see She Who Never Screams, tweak and tap her as you please.
See how you use and abuse her, and she holds still and quiet.
Marvel at her resilient shell, though she appears as you or me, behind
those open and empty eyes lie nothing more than a head to be filled.
Come one, come all, and see the amazing robot woman.
Come and see the greatest show on Mars.
My love of Janelle Monae and her music highly inspired this poem. Monae’s character of Cindi Mayweather, an android, showcases the familiar literary trope of science fiction alluding to real-world issues. I wanted to portray a similar story with a figure who never gets named but stands in as a woman.
The constant repetition of “Come one, come all,” mimics that of a circus ring leader calling an audience to see a spectacle. In this case, the spectacle, a seemingly artificial woman, never cries, never bleeds, and never shows any signs of pain and emotion. Of course, only an android could endure so much torture without ever reacting.
The expectation for flesh and blood humans to do so is unrealistic. And yet, in real life, when the world pokes and prods women, they expect us to just take it. God forbid we show anger and hurt, for if we do, they label us hysterical.
I imagined “a new world” out on Mars where this automaton woman exists and a man puts her on display. Because that is not a new world at all, but rather a reflection of our own world already in existence. Humanity’s macabre obsession with violence constantly feeds the vicious cycle of having a victim to put on a show. And the show goes on and on as the ring leaders calls “kids of all ages” to come see the amazing android. In the end, the greatest show on Mars just mirrors life on Earth.
For anyone who has not listened to Janelle Monae’s discography, I highly recommend it. The music alone is incredible, but the story that runs through every album shows just what a master they are at their craft.