The Eastern Gate Finale

Elasticity of time allowed him this One last visit to the Eastern Gate: One too many wormholes navigated Made it one hundred years too late. The City had been sealed And peace reigned over all As the holograph of its history Played against the City wall. A half glanced form A shadowed face As the image moved To another place The people dispersed To Cities then newly grown But the details of dispersion Not recorded or known. In his eyes he felt The stinging of tears, The paradox of warp travel, The slowing of elapsed years, Made him so much younger Than his date of birth A kind of compensation For living divorced from Earth. She was gone for ever Now probably just bones And, as in most of his life He felt so emotionally alone. The Eastern Gate behind him, Homage having been made, Regret reviewed and filed, And last respects paid. The holographed history For him a type of hell, His starship command waited So he said his last farewell,