When Planets Collide

Why consider a new page
To be anything other than hope
Poised for flight?
Like a virgin in an olive grove
Waiting for her toes to curl.
I once stared at a puddle so long
A rainbow appeared.
I believe there are many kingdoms
Other than this.
You know what it feels like
To lie on your back
Throwing wishes at stars
And then you see a satellite
Orbiting your world?
Launched before your birth,
It will still beam data
Well past your death
And that’s when it hits you:
Those bright points are mortal,
Fleeting dreams,
Galaxies
A million years dead.

by Ryan Stone

First published on The Houseboat in August, 2015