The Stars Are Falling
By John Herlihy

The stars are far,
Yet they seem so intimately near.
The stars are silent,
Yet they convey to us the mysticism of a seer.
The stars hover close overhead,
Yet we claim that they are light years away.
The stars are mythical figures,
Yet they are forever immortalized.
The stars sparkle their mystery and magic,
Yet we ignore the messages they have to offer.
The stars appear every night in the sky,
Yet if they suddenly disappeared, we would surely take notice.

What if the stars appeared once in a hundred years,
An event that people would yearn for and greet with cheers.
What if the night sky was an eternal darkness,
A ceiling painted black never touched by the beauty of starlight.
Humanity would rush out of their houses on the approaching night;
Their minds would be totally focused on the novelty of this wondrous sight.
They would wrap themselves in the enveloping darkness of the countryside;
They would stop in their tracks and look up on high far and wide.
They would gaze deeply into the blackness of the beauteous heavens,
Now adorned with billions of stars winking down upon the people on earth.
The stars would appear to be rising over the horizon and then falling;
We would appear to be rising with them, our souls free falling back to earth.

Alas, we need not panic, the Milky Way appears every night in the sky;
The stars still work their magic every night of the year, the darkness to belie.
Once twilight gives way to night, I gaze mystically into the heavens in wonder,
Overcome at the mystery of stars as one feels at the sound of thunder.
I’m counting and just counting, counting to know how many will be mine;
Billions of diamonds are there for reckoning, ready and willing to shine.
A multitude of suns and galaxies roam the heavens gazing down upon us.
So, lest you forget, when you step out of your house tomorrow evening,
Take note that the stars are here to stay; they have no intention of leaving.