Distant Kin

I stood out in our field last night,

And gazed up at the stars,

I thought about how small I am,

How big and bright they are. 

I thought about how supposedly,

We both began in the same place,

How I’m created from star dust here on earth,

As they were in outer space.

If we can believe the folks who know,

Whom I’m inclined to trust,

That same great mass of cosmic dust,

Made up both of us. 

They wink, and blink and flicker,

As they stare down at me,

And I wonder, as I look up,

How do they feel and what do they see?

Are they as much in awe as I am of them,

Our celestial kin from far away,

Or do they grieve as they look down,

What would they have to say?

The life of a man is short you know,

Shorter than the light of a star,

But they may also have passed away,

Before the news travels quite so far.

Perhaps that is their message that they send down,

A cosmic love note to us,

“We cast our light while we may,

Before we return to dust.

And you, oh man,

Whose time is short to walk upon the earth,

Do as we and blink and dance,

And burn bright for all you’re worth.”

It’s truly a wonderful lesson,

That I take away from them,

May I cast my light for all to see,

Before I fade and dim.