Cerulean Dream

In the shadow
of this Rocky desert monad
resided an impossibility:
a secluded and exclusive resident.

36 Ghosts

Memories are like ghosts:

some need to be exorcised

if we are to be more

than the hauntings

of our past.

Unification – Iteration 2: Greeting Ares

Marathon hung in the Martian sky like a firefly suspended in a breeze. Down on the surface of Mars, the landscape was eerily quiet, save for the sounds of hollow gusts and ticking grains of sand which rained down upon the rock-strewn terrain that is Ares Vallis. Running approximately 1,700 kilometers, the broad channel originates from the vast sunken region in the northern hemisphere known as Iani Chaos and descends southward into a delta-like region where it merges with Chryse Planitia. Discovered in the 1970s by the Viking orbiters, the area had long been of interest to astronomers as a possible place to find signs of life, or at the very least, their remains, due to its uncanny resemblance to a lakebed or flood region, and though it would be explored by the Pathfinder rover in 1996, it would not be until Jhana, in 2031, that the region would be revisited.

The Poison that Cures

Born out of a dark time between March 2017 and June 2018, these poems press on the reflection of a certain realization and revelation I had experienced, whether I wanted to or not.

“The purpose of poetry is to remind us how difficult it is to remain just one person, for our house is open, there are no keys in the doors, and invisible guests come in and out at will.” – Czeslaw Milosz

Unification – Iteration 1: Incarnadine Twilight

Everything changed in January of 2042. A seasonal dust storm approached the base, and though they had weathered through their fair share, the Argus Array Climate Orbiters measured this to be one of the largest ever recorded. By the time it neared Ares Prospect, it had engulfed roughly half of the planet. Communications went dark, yet it was to be expected. The climate orbiters, which formed a geosynchronous network high above the Martian surface, relaying all information and transmissions back to the ISC on Earth. The storm would only last for three days, and when it cleared, a terrible message was sent from the base, ending in the words “stay alone; stay alive.” Nothing else was heard from since and on February 7th, 2042, the ISC Marathon was launched.

Unification – Iteration 0: The Panther

The panther stalked its prey through the jungle underbrush, its bright intelligent eyes pierced through the thick, green foliage, and directly at its prey. The unsuspecting boar continued to drink from the quiet stream between two walls of mud and damp leaves, crushed beneath the paws of other creatures. The sunlight struggled to break through the jungle canopy, appearing like misshapen stars upon the shade-filled ground below.

“I could be bounded in a nutshell,

and count myself King of Infinite Space,

were it not that I have bad dreams.”

Hamlet, Act II, Scene II by William Shakespeare

Curiosity & the Cat

It was 3 a.m.
and I was having trouble sleeping
once more.

Writer’s Block

Sit down, take out that stack of paper or open up that notebook, pick up that number two pencil and write.

Just write.

Broken Toy Soldiers

Born out of a dark time between December 2016 and January 2017, these poems are a further reflection on a certain realization and revelation I had experienced, whether I wanted to or not.

“Whereas the philosopher tries to get the heavens into his head, the poet asks only to get his head into the heavens.” – G.K. Chesterton

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