An Infinite Sea

He’d grown up in a backwater of Mars 

amongst crumbling infrastructure on the 

“outer rim of the dreaming dead city”.  

And from there his family’s fortunes had only slid

planet by planet, away from Mother Earth

farther and farther into the growing void.  

He had no secret lineage or 

latent super powers to save him

like in the stories he consumed.  

His father had spaced himself 

shuttling back from the asteroid mines 

leaving them to fend for themselves.  

He was a boy born to a time and place 

that seemingly did not want or need him,

but really only could not fathom him.  

He was a dreamer in a time when dreams were drying up 

as the solar system shrank, dark and depleted, 

hollowed balls used up and bobbing on an infinite sea.

***