I told him when I left for space
That no matter what I saw there,
My love was firm, time's frantic pace
Wouldn’t change how much I care.
But as I slept by starlight, he came to me,
Grey haired, and haggard, and old,
Barely a tooth in his wrinkled mouth,
And long hair like white gold.
I said it’s good to see you here,
As you will be when I return.
Time moves at a different speed in space
Which makes every second burn.
You look as beautiful now as then;
Your eyes are just the same.
The character of your gentle face
Remains as constant as your name!
He vanished with a grateful smile,
And I awoke by the light of a star,
Which from the window, appeared so large
Though it was really very far.
A billion years hadn’t dimmed its light;
It shone brighter every day,
Burning denial of the axiom that
Time can’t pass without decay.
First appeared in Utopia Science Fiction Magazine