Ghosts and Dark Objects

by Sherry D. Ramsey

Cosmic smudges on deep-sky tableaux
ghostly reflections
in spirit photographs
unveiled by our electronic eyes
as infant galaxies
diffuse and secretive

Ancient youngsters swaddled
in faint baryon glow
progeny of shadow particles
embraced by dark-matter nursemaids
phantom ancestors
of worlds yet to be

But slow, slow;
evolution at the brink of the event horizon.

Eons hence,
their dark planet inhabitants
point strange technology eyes back at us
faint dying yellow swirls
smudges
on their image of the universe

Depleted embers
of once-bright star spirals
bereft of essential particles
waste of half the universe
ghostly remains
of galaxies birthed and dying

Too fast, too fast;
evolution at the unforgiving speed of light.

Copyright © 2005, Sherry D. Ramsey

Sherry D. Ramsey is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer whose work has appeared in On Spec, Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY, Oceans of the Mind, Neo-opsis, and elsewhere. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband, daughter, son, and various pets, and steals whatever spare nanomoments she can to write fiction and poetry, publish a monthly web magazine, and sleep and eat once in a while. Visitors are welcome to Sherry's website at www.sherrydramsey.com.