The Brightest Star

I was the brightest star 
shooting, fiery, into darkness

my trail of red and green and 
blue spun out behind me:

rainbow hue of hope and effervescence 
you should have seen me there

fizzing at the speed of thought 
through the galaxy curving

from one side
to the other touching

lip to lip - but the crowds 
kept on walking, unheeding,

busy with the minutes of their day 
as I spun above them, bright, bright,

so far so high so 
strong of stardust limb -

but I saw them in 
slow motion as I flew

heart in mouth arms 
stretched across the galaxies:

raw sinew - my body 
grew and grew until,

old, I was made new
and in my edged kiss, knew

the bliss of extinguishing.   But they 
had somewhere to get to

and crowded on oblivious
of the reaching darkness with its

one shooting star ripping open 
the mystery of the sky.

previous poem