I don’t often listen
When the stars chatter
Their restless songs at night
Because stars are fickle
And stars lie
Like the last stair
When it’s too dark to see

But last night, I opened
My heart to them
And hey sparkled and shone
Speeches of kind caring
And deliberate intention
That fell flat
A perfume of ash
In my mouth
Because hearing truth
And living it
Are rarely the same thing

Life cannot survive on lies
And, if you spend your days
Tending to the needs of others
Then who is tending to yours?
And whose songs are you protecting
When you take the blame
Again, and again, and again?

Then I realize, maybe too late,
We are not stars
Yet, we fight ourselves daily
To perpetrate as though
We can live like the gods
But only those worshiped,
Not those that live
Behind their masks

Because masks are lies
But if it protects us
Then aren’t they worth it?
Which must be what the stars say
When they are still singing
A billion years after they die

So, I come to understand that
I am not a star
I am not a god
I am not worthy of you
But, that will not make me stop
Building towers
And feathered wings
To try and rise to where you dwell
Even though I’m no better than Icarus,
You inspire me to fly

After all,
If it is big enough to break me
Then it is big enough for me to hang on to.
And that,
My dear,
Scares the hell out of me.