Savoring the Stars
As a child he could see some stars at night
Even though he lived in a big city.
Since then he’s been thankful for the slight light
They threw on the galaxy’s velocity
As it expanded towards infinity.
Though he couldn’t have named one by sight,
The constellations offered security
Like Linus’s blanket did from Lucy’s spite.
The stars relieved religion’s anxiety.
If they failed to make the crazy world all right,
At least they tempered the inanity
And fueled his imagination’s first flight.
Pity the city boy: star light, star bright—
He savored the first star he saw at night.
Robert Forrey, 2011
