Asimov's SF, December 2010 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-07-10T14:01:39+00:00

Poetry: XENOAESTHETICS by F.J. Bergmann

* * * *

* * * *

In their language, the word for “poet”

was troublemaker; the word for “artist,”

heretic. Any ornamentation—artifice

for its own sake—was blasphemy,

and even adjectives and adverbs were

highly suspicious: they permitted

no embellishments to lard their lean

truths. We had difficulty justifying

our baroque embroideries, not to

mention the floral enamelwork

decorating our pressure suits, until

one of our entomologists had the idea

of explaining Batesian mimicry and

camouflage. Our rollicking ballads

and bawdy limericks caused even more

perturbation. But when we explored

their busy marketplaces, starved eyes

followed us everywhere, and delicate,

whorled ears strained to swivel

toward our songs.

—F.J. Bergmann

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