The Boy Left Behind

After "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd (sort of)

The stars are bright,
The frailest light,
Shines down upon me,
In my native town.

Gone ahead,
Are they dead?
Or do they dance,
Beyond the planet's rim?

I'm alone.
No-one's home.
I'm loosening my weight pack,
Just to see.

Can I fly?
Dare I try?
And if I could,
Would I be truly free?

How I ache,
How I yearn to fly.
They're all up there,
Waiting somewhere,
Calling to me,

I am bound,
Still to the ground,
Or can I bound,
And reach the starry sea?

How I wish I could fly.

December, 1998

For Spider and Jeanne Robinson, who wrote The Stardance Trilogy.