15,000: as a galactic cloud so deep

I know there's more than 15,000

stars in the night sky, but I always thought there was

lots of space between them, I imagined them

langorous and whimsical in their

gyres and frolic

in the deep deep

spacious

tides of blackness.

I know there's more than 15,000

people at this conference, and I never knew

how jostling it must be for those stars.

How they might push and hustle to get a spot

in the great halls of velvet darkness.

Do constellations ever wonder

if they matter or if they're just specks?

Or can I learn from them, how to keep

my bright fire bright, how to find my place in the echoing

hallways of deep space

through relating to other bright candles?

I promised to myself to introduce myself

as "a galactic cloud so deep"*

if anyone asked who I was.

I know there's more than 15,000

but none of them asked.

So I'm writing this poem

to constellate myself within the great and spacious

tides of time, to sing out my brightness

as "a galactic cloud so deep"

* Adrienne Rich, from "Planetarium"

Image credit: The Photopic Sky Survey, the largest true-color all-sky survey – along with a constellation and star name overlay option – is available here. From http://www.universetoday.com/85577/photopic-sky-survey/