When the stars first leave the sky blank and dark
Consciousness hopes to find a home
resting for a moment while we await an answer

The event shocks the soul, forcing a collective recognition of a star’s impact
Time is crippled and slow to move forward

Without restraint, we collect ourselves
only to lash out again against the emptiness
An ache without mercy
sadness and recollection our companions
lending unbearable weight to the stars that remain

To lean against the light of other stars is to survive
until an unforeseeable result captivates us,
Ripples of a star’s life touching our own
and those in their youth assume the strength of that lost star

Stars are destined to burn out,
however thoughtful and loving, they choose to remain with us
memories of themselves strewn across similar memories,
beyond description, like something magical

Who should say where they go?

So calm to linger in front of our eyes at night forever
never obstructed by things down here, bound by nothing above
we often take them for granted knowing they’ve always been here
comforting us during the loneliness of such days

Don’t curse the sun for separating us from night and the beauty of a brilliant star
Instead, return your eyes to its place in the sky reminded of a simple truth-

Though burned out, how brilliant
Though empty, how full
Overwhelmed by a love for such light
you’ll scarcely know its scope,
and forever imagine its reach
All that has been touched by a star disguised as a brilliant life,
We know where it is…

In the heavens where stars belong…