Recite the Stars

Rote memorization
Recite the stars
In a constellation
That takes shape
In my eyes
Lights in the dark
To face the night

I can recall
All the names
They’ve inherited
Storm cloud masks
They’ve worn
As shields
To face the night

This recitation
Repetition breeds
Familiarity
Love is
A rarer thing still
A Halley’s Comet
To face the night

I wait and wait
For that sight
A blaze burning
Through the sky
To watch over me
To walk with me
To face the night

— B.