The Dead in their Own Time

The Dead in their Own Time

by F. J. Doucet

“The time elapsed between when we detect the light here on Earth and when it was

originally emitted by the source, is known as the 'lookback time'. The more distant

an object is from us, the further back in time we are looking.” —COSMOS Encylopaedia

Before my first long-distance posting, the old captain

took me aside, told me —Always remember one thing. The stars

are far from us and each other, removed not only in distance,

but time. Remember to love the living. The dead

you leave in their own time— I asked him what he meant, a soldier

surrendered to philosophers' prattle. He levelled me

a stare. —You will know, Captain, when you meet the soul

you ache to hold, alive by your side forever, and know it

for older than Earth.— I smiled. Forgot all

he had said long before we touched

the event horizon, before the wormhole, before we broke

from Orion's Arm to slip the stream of nebulae

like pearls. But I tell you, Beloved, I remembered his words

when we two at last stood together, side by side

to look at the stars. I raised a hand to point my own

and found it utterly dark.