I reach out
                               to you -to your essence
grappling to any shred               of your memory.
                             Your smile.
         The light in              your eyes.
The tinkling of bells in
                                                                                    your laugh.
The soft rose that                     warmed all of
the        freckles on your cheeks
           when you                         blushed.
Every feature.
                                                  Faded.
Like an old picture.

Reaching and clawing through
every scene,                       every second.
                                        Every memory of you.
Time stands still              and the world is silent.
The stars hang, frozen        in their dark sky.
                                                       The universe is, and suddenly

it isn't.
My mind
                                      blinks.
My heart beats on           like a drum and
the wind                           rushes from my lungs at
                             lightspeed as
a sickening
possibility comes to mind.

                                                                                      You are nothing more than s t a r d u s t .

You look in the mirror and see nothing but remorse, I look at you
and see bones and stardust.

We sit at the cliff's edge
and skip rocks made of stardust
across the universe of time.

as the planets inch closer,
stardust trembles.
lights of green hues
and vibrant blues
dance overhead.
I'll follow the north star
over mountainscapes,
oceans,
and everything in between
to be with you.

they tell me that we’re made of stardust,
but i don’t feel like something so glorious.

i feel like the dark side of the moon,
like the space between worlds,
like the howling void,
and the empty cascade of dying suns.

i feel like silence,
like i’m screaming with no one to hear me.

In July, I collect stardust
And text dust
I linger in Shakespeare’s shadow
And who knew
He had a home in Oregon
I walk along his stairs
Finding myself hovering in front
A trio of theatres, tall witches
Brewing a cauldron of magic
Each performance, enticing
Crowds from every corner
And I follow in suit
Getting lost in the magic
That makes me want
To not return home