An Astronomer Learns How to Love
they find stars romantic
they proclaim that the moon shines for you
they promise that they will claim all the heavenly bodies just for you
but i think that's blasphemy.
what is so whimsical about balls of fire
that they dare open their heart to the vast sky
in hopes of understanding your soul?
you may call me a hypocrite.
one who literally reads and writes about the heavens,
criticizing all the fools out there who dream under the stars;
the same stars i find myself gravitating towards.
but listen!
if our palms had the privilege
of meeting in the afterglow of the sun's absence,
i would not whisper sweet nothings to you
nor pretentious promises.
alas,
i would try my damn hardest to make you understand
that these stars we love to fall in love with
are way past their time
and we are only basking in the warmth
of their ghosts.
i will yell my hatred at the stars
for how they mean so much to me
yet are so far away.
but i will see you staring up above,
your features fueled by my anger,
and i will realize
what a petty thing my emotions are
when you are there,
just a breath away from me.
i will not bore you to death with the names of these stars;
instead, i will retell all that they've seen
(or at least what matters)
and when i notice you smiling at my favorite one,
i will pray to Orion
that i remember to include your smile on that list.
i will complain about light pollution
and how the artificial glow of this artificial world
has corrupted the night sky;
preventing us from fully immersing ourselves
in the beauty of the darkness,
something we must be very familiar with.
but i'll notice how your eyes catch the twinkle
of the dead stars that have seen
many other fools
like me.
when the moon appears
and reminds me of its presence each time i look into your eyes,
i will think about the celestial magic of the heavens
and how the sun will bring
a change of mind
but definitely not
a change of heart;
for your image
will still be caught
in the twinkle of my eye
when i wake up.
i will sigh,
and when you ask what is wrong,
i will only answer:
"stardust,
and everything it represents."