That night, I tied a tiny string to each of the stars
and pulled them down towards the earth
in a big bundle, like a flower bouquet
They left trails in the jelly sky
and tangled on the wisps of clouds
A few even clanged into each other
and the sound was like a bell
So, I pulled harder
Wrapped the strings around my fist
and let them cut into my pale cold flesh
Finally, my efforts came to fruition
and a single star floated down into the troposphere
I cradled it in my arms and sang to it
– until it burst –
and the embers dissipated in the
milky night
