Celebrate National Poetry Month — here’s is Ota Dokan’s famous farewell, written while he died from an assassin’s knife.

“Had I not now that I was dead already

I would have mourned

the loss

of my life.”

I came across this piece when I was 20 years old and reading Dark Horse Comics’ outstanding “Aliens: Hive” limited series, written by Jerry Prosser and illustrated by Kelley Jones.  (Yes, there are people out there who are nerdy enough to learn poetry from comic books.)  “Hive,” to this day, remains one of the most enjoyable science fiction stories I’ve ever read.  Prosser’s script and characters were amazing, and Jones’ art was beautiful; both men exemplified what two talented creators could accomplish with the under-recognized medium.

Most of my online friends know that “Mayakovsky” is a pseudonym I employ when writing movie reviews and such.  This story’s protagonist is from whom I took the name — not the famous poet.  Like I said … NERDY.