through tired eyes

i hold the coffee mug

in the palms of my hands

and stare at the spaghetti-colored stars

and the painted boy floating

between them

"shoot for the moon," he says

"even if you fall, you'll land among the stars"

such a concept

has never occurred to me

maybe my heart

is made of stone

but i always thought missing the mark

meant falling into a black hole of self-hate

and forced apathy

after fuck-ups

i do not see jacob's ladder

giving me another chance

to reach for the stars

but maybe i'm just a cynic

in an oversized sweatshirt

if i shoot for the moon

and miss

the stars will burn me to a crisp-

a trial with an error is worse than it seems

all i know:

icarus shot for the sun

and melted all his hopes and dreams