Stars

The cold, white stars that dot the night
are plenty bright to see,
but not quite bright enough to light
a pathway, road, or tree.

The moon that shares the sky with them
takes care of the lighting chores.
It lights up all the countryside;
the oceans and their shores.

Such little light the pinpoint stars
send forth to greet our eyes.
Alone they're nothing but bright dots
but together light the skies.

Since the beginning of the written word
mankind has always gazed
toward the heavens, full of wonder
we've stood, transfixed; amazed.

We gave the patterns of them names
and navigation grew.
We learned to use the nighttime sky
to see our journeys through.

I've been in places that were high
and very dark at night
where I could see so many stars;
even galaxies shone bright.

The planets, stars, and Milky Way
seemed close enough to touch.
The lack of light from all around
did emphasize so much.

It makes me seem like such a speck
so meaningless and small;
to gaze at dark infinity
and comprehend it all.

Rick Williams