a letter to the stars

what do i write to the stars? 

its nice to meet you hot ball of nuclear reactions 

or should i start with a hello first

buongiorno, or goodbye?

 

will it even arrive on time?

the royal mail is slow these days,

even with first class.

will it arrive 

before their light has faded 

before the last hydrogen atom is used 

and they grow cold and die?

 

i’ve always found stars a little frightening   

i’ve dreamed of being in space 

being pulled, pulled, pulled into a star

flesh volatilising, vapourising into nothingness.

 

but i also adore them

shall I compliment their beauty,

many have done so, written comparisons 

eyes sparkle like them

they are constellations: Andromeda, Great Bear, Lesser Bear, a Virgin    

they are gods: Mawu, Ra, Amaterasu, Áine, Sulis

and how could I forget Helios.

 

they are all 

our sun

an all seeing eye   

being pulled across the skies

 

in my letter i shall tell the stars our stories

how they have shaped culture

worshipped

their roles in the arts and literature 

i’ll attach Gogh’s spiralling night sky for them to see

 

i’ll also share news of our arrival,

and how we are building machines 

to meet them

 

soon we will brush against the stars

like sailors on the sea.