Orion

Each night I walk out the back door
and head along the edge of the wood
towards the path.
There is barely enough light to see but I know the way
and the stars will help to guide me.

Staring into the sky I lose myself.

Their beauty has been forgotten,
smothered with artificial light.
Some have never known and will never see
the incomparable radiance of the clear night sky.
Yet I am drawn upwards to the celestial canvas
until I am drifting amongst the luminous constellations.

How great is their existence,
these stars, more so than this wood or this path
I would describe in great detail?

How long had their light shone
before Calypso guided Odysseus across the sea
with these very stars
and I would presume to look upon them
as if they are my own?

So bright without the moon
to smother their glow,
their brilliance lights my path,
and I am here
lurking in the shadows
of the trees, the leaves
tethered to the earth
though I would float amongst them
if I could.
Drifting into eternity
or until their light is no more.

© Michele Markley 2008