I, Mars

"I am Mars. I am the red world, the ancient world, the world of cinnamon dust and cold bronze skies. For ten thousand centuries I lay in deep silence beneath the twin moons of Phobos and Deimos, dreaming of the ancient Martian canals that once flowed like turquoise ribbons across my deserts. Then came the rockets from Earth. They came like silver needles piercing the dark fabric of the vacuum, carrying fire in their bellies and the strange, restless dreams of humankind in their metal brains. The Earth men stepped onto my soil in heavy suits of white rubber and glass helmets that reflected the pale afternoon sun. They did not understand the whisper of the sands. When the thin wind blew through the crystal towers of the ruined cities, the men looked up with rifles raised, fearing ghosts."