The Nighttime Sky
As close as breath
Yet so far away
Exact number of stars
Unknown between 100 billion
And 400 billion
Too many to count
The Cree Nation say their ancestors
Arrived here from the stars
The Zuni believe they are
Related to a kind of Star People
The Lakota hold sacred star
Knowledge handed down
Through generations
From the ancient ones
Though the stars in the nighttime sky
Are too many to count
Exact number unknown
Still just right for dreaming and wishing
Many believe when they look up and
See stars in the nighttime sky
They see their ancestors
All come from stars and all are related
When you wish upon a star
Your wish is guaranteed to come true
Suddenly the air fills with fairy dust
This is beautiful, Annell. In Africa, too, shaman Credo Mutwa speaks of blue-eyed ancestors, Sky People, who came from the stars. They are linked with the white lions, endangered now. He said the fate of humankind is interwined with that of the white lions and when the last lion dies, the sun will fall from the sky. I love this poem. Indigenous teachings have so much elemental truth in them, for the indigenous live so closely with Mother Earth.
ReplyDeleteI love myths and legends, Annell, and I love your beautiful poem, especially the lines:
ReplyDelete‘As close as breath
Yet so far away’
and
‘Though the stars in the nighttime sky
Are too many to count
Exact number unknown
Still just right for dreaming and wishing’.
I could do with some fairy dust.
This is a beautiful poem of connection. "They see their ancestors / All come from stars and all are related"...Love this.
ReplyDeleteSo much to think about here, Annell. My favorite lines are the very first:
ReplyDelete"As close as breath
Yet so far away "
I also liked reading about the Native American beliefs!
Annell, I love all of the legends and origin stories you've shared in this. And you had me at the line "as close as breath." YES.
ReplyDeleteSo many ways to wonder at the night sky, attune ourselves to its myriad stars, and I love how you show us how it's been done and still done, scattering "fairy dust." with your words, wishes.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful Annell. Loved the wonderful myths you shared. 🙂✌🏼🫶🏼
ReplyDeleteYou've expressed the magic of a night full of stars beautifully
ReplyDeleteLove the magic and the hope in this poem. Well done.
ReplyDelete