19.

He opened the doors
To the vista of space,
The TARDIS left dormant
As if parked in place.

I moved to the doorway,
And to my surprise,
Looked down on the Earth
As we hung in its skies.

“It’s here,” hissed the Doctor,
“The point of our trip!
Just across from us now
Is a dark matter ship.

Its crew are Sh’karri;
They live out of phase.
You won’t spot them, no matter
How long you gaze.

They can’t see the Earth,
They don’t know we’re here.
They can’t spot the comet
That orbits each year.

Most comets pass through them,
Of course, but a few
Span both worlds like a bridge
Connecting the two.

It’s a shell we can see
‘Round a dark matter core.”
From space came a brilliant
Flash, and I saw

The ship twisting, aflame,
As it fought to keep height
But plunged into the clouds
Of the Earth, out of sight.

“They’re stranded, halfway
Between our world and theirs
With no dark matter left
In their drive for repairs.”

Said the Doctor. “At least—“
And then stared in alarm
As a bell started tolling;
Its tones low and calm

Sh’karri forgotten
He ran to the heart
Of the TARDIS, and watched
As his world fell apart.

“The fleet’s moving in
To attack Gallifrey…”
He murmured, then glanced up
At me. “You can’t stay.”

I’d barely stepped out
Of The TARDIS’s door
When it disappeared, faster
Than ever before,

Leaving me in the frost
And the first light of day,
As galaxies burned
Half an aeon away.