YOUR GIFT OF STARS Sic itur ad astra – Virgil for Bruce Around 1 AM we bounced seven miles out a rough dirt Road, through locked gates, into the mountains to arrive At Karen’s uninhabited trailer, which she spent all the Previous afternoon cleaning, then making up a bed we Could use for what was left of the night. She stocked it With bottles of water, freshly drawn from her springs. She showed me how to work the generator, and Pointed out that we would need to pee outside, then She drove down the steep hill to her place, leaving us With flashlights to make our way around. Once we Settled in, you disappeared into the cold air of the yard. I found you gazing at a broad, clear sky dense with stars. Excited, you pointed out the various constellations to me, Especially the ones you could seldom see anywhere else, Telling me some of the ancient stories behind them, How they came to be ensconced in the night sky. It seemed that the new moon had politely excused herself From the scene just so you could index the constellations Then hand them to me with their interconnections revealed, a Gift which I would never have requested, but will never forget
begun 07/01-29/2023 Santa Rosa, CA events occurred the early morning of 06/18/2023 Yorkville Ranch Road, Mendocino County, CA
About the Author: M.J. Arcangelini, (b.1952, Pennsylvania) has resided in northern California since 1979. He has published extensively in both print and online venues & over a dozen anthologies. He is the author of 6 published collections, the most recent of which is PAWNING MY SINS, 2022 (Luchador Press).
Image Credit: Henri-Edmond Cross “Landscape with Stars” Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
As It Ought To Be 