LETTER TO AN ALIEN:

Greetings, oh traveler of stars,

Welcome to an ancient rock.

Shall I assume even that yet circles our lonely sun?

What is left..

I don't know..

I am eons gone.

You read a dead man's scrawl

Your present..

is my future..

My longing or..

our nightmare

You look around this barren rock long dead..

no ashes,

no dust,

no air

Not even a hint of moisture..but..

Once upon a time..

Picture this:

This barren waste was a pale blue dot..

Hanging in an orbit dark about this almost dead sun

With eight other planets circling a raging star

Beautiful and Powerful..

It gave us light, warmth..

and life..

How do I describe to you?

An Alien?

Not from across a border..

but from the vast outer reach of space

Strange to me..

As I am to you

A blue sky..

reflection of the water..but,

do you have eyes?

See color like I did

Water,

for miles and miles

The green of vegetation

Reds of fire in sunsets

Are you tactile, perhaps..

or of different senses?

I don't know

Words fail..

Smarter than I will fail

My hope?

That you have ways unknown

to "see" what I can barely imply

to observe the beauty of what was..

of the message

that little Voyager capsule finally delivered.

Peace