Starlight Gleaming

© 2021 T J Skywind
Inspired by litpunk

The stars above us
Whether a handful of light-years away or thousands
All shine not just for us on our world
But also for all the other billions of undiscovered worlds in the cosmos
Some stars are transitioning or dying and its nova has yet to reach us
Still, other stars are birthing unseen
Light ever travels onward to our night skies
Starlight gleaming tells us we are not alone

Whether the nights are so clear it makes the heart ache from its stark clarity
Or skies choked are by smoke or the rage of storms force us to seek shelter
We act with those around us
Yet are also buffeted by greater forces around us
Life is an opportunity, not a promise
Priests tell us the heavens are eternal
But even stars have life spans
Whenever I look up, I'm reminded – life persists
We are but a small piece in the grand scheme of the universe
Yet we struggle because we matter
Starlight gleaming is something for us to reach for

The night sky is more than glittering sparkles of colors
They are distant blazing suns shining over alien worlds
We will discover wonderful friends and terrible enemies
Embrace new advances and witness terrible tragedies
All of this amidst the beauty and terror and astounding universe
All races of men and women struggling together
Working side by side toward a common future
Through every trial let us act with honor
Starlight gleaming witnesses everything

One day humans will stride the stars
Blazing our own trail across the skyways
One day, we will see those lights in the sky
Not as twinkles of colored light
But as alien suns over alien worlds from our own, human-made starships
Exploring the heavens, witnessing wonders
Striving to understand the secrets of the universe
Building new lives under a thousand new suns
We will marvel at the light from our own distant sun
Blinking in the heavens above
Knowing it still shines over our own world
Starlight gleaming remains

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