Awaken the Night

the galaxy peeks at us between the clouds

born on the horizon that scatters light aplenty,

and we’re all just dots in the landscape as we

try to find meaning in the time and space we have.

then when the stars blink through the atmosphere,

their fires burning so many light years away,

those sparks are just after-images we see

through a gap in the way the universe appears.

and even though we have some answers,

we have no idea what really exists beyond

the scope of our own small sphere spinning,

gravity keeping us all bound to the ground.

the other planets have their own qualms,

but so goes that there are rules to play by,

no matter what time of night or day, and

even constellations must have a law or two.

the truth is that we may never know what

heartbeats may lay beneath the surface

of the moon or Mars or any celestial body,

but a glimpse of the night sky still bears awe.