The Glow-Magic Starry Sky Kit

The Glow-Magic Starry Sky Kit

Sunday afternoon we put up stars

on the ceiling of our son's room,

working assembly-line fashion,

with you applying the adhesive putty,

me creating a galaxy that spreads

overhead and down the walls,

and our son running stars between us.

Sunday night the sky is breathtaking

as we say prayers under 108 stars and moons,

heaven in its place for the night,

glowing green above a hill of blankets.

Monday evening I find a few stars

on the floor and put them in a pile

for sticking up again.

Tuesday, after arguing with you,

I step on the sharp points

of other stars that have fallen.

For the rest of the week,

I stumble on stars spread out

in new constellations on the floor,

wondering why glue

doesn't really hold things together.

In fact, everything is falling apart.

From work to the house to relationships,

I can't get things to stick

the way I see them in my mind.

Finally, my seven-year-old son says

"Just because the stars fell

doesn't mean you and Daddy

can't put them up again."

And I think of all the stardust

in the carpet, on the soles of my feet,

our fingertips as we touch

and fly apart, and come back together,

not to stick, but to glow.