Poem: We carry stars in our pockets from place to place

I have stars for you,
bright but out of tune
shining but always passing you by.

We have to work harder to catch them, you and I,
stretch a little further,
reach a little higher,
walk a little longer.

Carry a little more burning embers of the last stars we caught together,
shield them in our hands, tighter and longer than we ever expected.

Lights replace them, but one by one they dim,
short out, shut down, leave us scrabbling for starlight in darkness we did not need.

Their songs slow, stretch out into the sky, pulled back, we strain.
We try to hear them, retrieve them, speak to them.

Understand them.

I only understand you, on the brighter days, not forever mind, clarity comes to us all.

Take another handful of dust, the last vestiges of the day, and try again.

The stars will be back, tomorrow.

r.l.w