Discovering the Lava Tubes

Dusty red skies Blaze and freeze At the same time A canyon opens up before us So impossibly huge our minds cannot quite take it in Swallowed in a wilderness so brave and gorgeous I think we’re here Comes a crackle on the radio Yeah, this is it for sure Entrance to the lava tube Can’t wait to get inside and see what secrets it may hide Could be the home that we’ve been looking for The wind picks up and James gives me that look he always has When he’s worried but trying to look calm Telltale signs of a storm The kind that catches you out cold Hunker down and pray to Mars is all you can do They say these tubes will be a haven from the storms Well now’s our chance Let’s go and test them We step inside and flick on lights Chased by clouds of dust as we descend But soon a quietness surrounds us The tube’s mighty walls defiant of the storm A simple space Long and straight Stretches out before us Here and there interrupted by a mass of fallen rock In my mind I see homes and habitats For plants and spaces for the labs A safe retreat, an anchor point, a home