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Poetry
Science Fiction
He was discovered
Face aged, battered, sallow
Cruelly sculpted by exposure
Eyes grave, haunted, weary
Deeply set by seclusion
Locks grey, soiled, felted
Perpetually twisted by boredom
Life had been brought to these vast gravel seas by the cruelest of circumstances
And now he was discovered
The transport landed for emergency repairs
Dropped on this forbidden rock
Temporarily joining Onyx 17B in her orbit around a slow dying sun
Momentarily joining her vast emptiness
System Intelligence reports he was exiled for mutiny
The Council later exonerated him and was destroyed
Along with any hope for his return
Forever forgotten
Alas! Against hope, he was discovered.
An anomaly of technology hampered a stardrive
Passing though a long-dead system
Onyx 17B possessed a vapid countenance
Her scattered seas inert
Her atmosphere torpid
Lifeless but for one small incongruity
Almost ignored by the transport’s programming
After generations, he was discovered
On rendezvous the transport captain, without words, inquired:
“How, Admiral… how did you survive?”
Laughter was the initial response
Dry, sand-filled laughter
An insufferable, toothless smile preceded his words
“An eon or more, I cannot recall,
But every millennium finds its worth in our meeting.
Sublime treasure is this moment!”
The Admiral’s smile broadened beyond possibly
He was discovered
The transport captain tried to speak
“I have become the ambassador of the Summit of Worlds.
The diplomat of a people to intelligence beyond our own!
Treasure of treasures;
The affluence of all the star’s empires cannot compare!
Moment of moments!”
The Admiral stood arm extended in greeting
Hand yellowed, knotted, scabbed
Furrowed by ages
The transport captain extended his own arm
Solemnly hands embraced in fully human gesture
Two forms, more alike than different, were reflected in the ship’s polished sides
One form began a mad, exuberant dance
Unshod feet kicking ancient sand into an emaciated atmosphere
The second silently praying
That he will never be one who is abandoned
Left to die in the withering heat of a desolate mind
Until humanity becomes unrecognizable
He was discovered
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Copyright 2008, R. J. Walker Miller. All rights reserved. R. J. Walker Miller is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and poetry. In addition to writing and his day job, he enjoys reading SF, the outdoors, and listening to music. He currently resides in the American Midwest where he is working on his novel and several short stories. His work has appeared in the magazines AlienSkin, Haruah: A Breath of Heaven, Fear and Trembling, and Mindflights. You can find his website at http://www.fluxbucket.com/.
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