A Summer Night

I listen with rapt attention
as you tell me of the constellations
for I love celestial things

My thoughts drift away
dancing among the distant lights
and you have fallen silent

The night seems perfect
I wonder if any wrongs exist
beneath such a spectacle

But then I think of wars
and brutalities that often abound
and pay little heed to the night

For comfort I grasp your hand
and a moment you allow it
our fingers intertwine

With a dimly lit smile
you push my hand away
whispering apologetically

I resume my study of the sky
ignoring the sting of rejection
and the ache in my heart

We talk of meaningless things
both knowing what goes unsaid
the stars feel distant and cold
3/29/00