I Have Always Loved the Stars

I have always loved the stars. 

When I was little, I remember 

locking myself out at night. 

The starlight shone down  

on the ground below, 

illuminating my way home. 

The world looked different, 

a warped vision of the day,

with a celestial presence

keeping the coyotes at bay.

I have always loved the stars.

Once, my mother left our tent

on our family camping trip.

I asked her where she went, 

and she told me, "the lake,

to gaze at the heavens."

Our friend, a photographer,

caught her, looking at the sky.

His photo lives in brochures 

passed out to passers-by.

I  have always loved the stars.

I sat at the bow of a boat

far from my family and my home.

I breathed in the smell

of salt-soaked skin

as the blue waves 

and seafoam rocked me 

like a baby in a cradle,

as I leaned on the girl

I showed my stars.

I have always loved the stars,

and those I've shared them with

know, I will always love them too.