DREAMVERSE 09 - The Dead Planet

They say it died when the atmosphere burned away.

Or maybe long before that, when everyone left for a more hospitable planet.

But, as I sit here, alone in my pod, on some hill that once had a name, I find this quiet land holds a life all its own.

Those impossible peaks on the horizon, standing greater, prouder, than any fortress made by man.

The dried riverbeds that still whisper tales of travel and commerce from passengers long ago—their the lost coins and trinkets the only evidence of their visit, now buried under layers of silt.

I’m moved by the sad beauty of this place—frozen here in time and space.

The universe, I’m reminded, holds many soulless things with power to stir the soul.

The magic dance of shadow and filtered light over rock formations continues over this desolate landscape.

Though this world is far from my own, the sun still rises and sets here, too.

Maybe it’s a human thing to always find something we recognize in the alien and unfamiliar.

I expect that’s why this place reminds me of home.

In some way, I’ve now become part of its story.

And, just being here, I’ve made it live again.