Back
A lonely asteroid wanders through a cold, dark Universe.
She follows her typical path without going much off course.
Her name is Haley, she is kind but quiet.
Unfortunately wherever she goes, it is completely silent.
In every direction are lights that seem very distant.
She aimed for one, but unfortunately she missed it!
Just as she felt upset and lonely once more,
Another light approaches before she can feel bored.
She can see from afar that his Star’s smile is shining,
Nervous as she approaches for there is no hiding.
The bright star named “Sol” says brightly, “Hello!
I’ve got comets and planets with me, be careful where you go!”
And so she went on, nervous and wary.
Being in a new place like this is exciting, but scary.
On her tour of this new place another asteroid appears.
“Uhh, excuse me - I’m Haley. Nice to meet you here.”
The Asteroid turns with eyes wide open.
He is pleased to see her, his smile unbroken.
“Why Hello! I’m Bennu, Welcome to our home!
We hope you enjoy your trip and don’t feel so alone!
I am heading to Earth to learn about life.
Care to join? We can go side by side.”
Haley happily says yes to his invitation.
She will be less lonely if she stays with him.
Eventually they arrive at the planet Earth.
They have a lot to learn before they go forth.
“Greetings, asteroids! I hope your tour so far has been alright.”
“It is great! We are now here to learn about your life!”
“Well I have humans, buffalos, whales, and tigers,
Giraffes, elephants, mice, and spiders!
There are also tiny forms of life you can’t even see
Life is everywhere when you travel on me!”
“Wow - That is amazing! You are completely covered in it.
Do you know if there is more life on other planets?”
“Well Mars used to have some, but now he is too cold.
Long ago he had long rivers, like mine, where life flowed.
Venus did as well but now she is far too warm.
But over time all planets - well, they transform.
Jupiter and Saturn have moons with oceans below ice.
But I do not know for sure if they have life.”
“It is amazing to hear about Jupiter, Venus, and Mars.
Do you know if there is life around other Stars?”
Earth pauses for a second before she begins to say,
“I am afraid I do not know because they are too far away.”
Haley is suddenly very curious about this -
Before now she never thought about it!
Haley asks Bennu, “Would you want to go?
We can explore the Stars and then we will know!”
Bennu seems unsure about this adventure.
After all, he only just met her.
Haley says, “I know that it makes you nervous -
But so was I before learning what Earth’s lesson was!
If we go together, then we will never feel alone.
I am not so nervous now that I have a new friend to get to know.”
Bennu cracks a smile and says “Let’s go!
But first I have a question to ask Pluto.”
Before they leave, they thank Earth for her time.
She says “You two are always friends of mine.”
Now Haley and Bennu go to Pluto, who is waaaay out.
To get there, they have a long and winding route.
After some time they finally arrive.
Pluto gives them a smile, with a look of delight.
“Ah a new group of visitors I see!
Thank you for taking the time to come visit me.”
Bennus says, “Hello Pluto, I am Bennu.
This is my friend Haley, pleasure to meet you!
Haley and I are off to explore the Stars.
I have one question for you before we depart.
I hear that you used to be a planet, but now you are not.
Is that okay, or is being a planet what you really want?”
Pluto smirks and says, “Excellent question young one!
My answer is simple and something you may find fun.
It is not so important the names that people call you,
As it is the great and wonderful things that you do.
Whatever they call me, they know I have a story.
They know I am nice, and they know they can trust me.
Whether you are an asteroid, comet, planet, or anything else,
The only thing you can do is be unique as yourself!”
Haley looks at Bennu with a smile.
She knows that is something they will remember for a while.
So finally they are ready to explore.
More excited now than they ever were before.
It may be a scary place out there without each other,
But your journeys are always better when you have another.
Off to explore the Stars Bennu and Haley go!
With him she knows she will not feel so alone.
© 2019 Sky Hoffert