sitting on the balcony
on a hot summer night
naming the stars
in the fading light

something cuts through the darkness,
black as tar
the distinctive shine
of a shooting star

my eyes trace the path as it crosses the sky,
all my attention it does occupy

i whisper a wish
with my eyes squeezed closed,
when i open them i notice
a secret exposed.

albeit giving off a beautiful glow
it's a cigarette **** that someone let go
it falls to the floor and promptly gets squished
beneath the boot of a stranger;

along with my wish.