The Woman and The Stars

The woman sat in her wooden rocking chair,

Gazing up at the stars every night,

Appreciating their beauty.

She wanted them for herself,

So she took them down,

One by one from the night sky.

Soon the sky became

An unimaginable darkness.

But with the stars so close,

She did not seem to notice.

She also never realized,

How bright the stars really were.

The light grew too much for her,

And in the end,

They blinded her.

She hated the stars for this,

So she hid them away,

To never be seen again.

Now all she wants is to forget,

About the stars and their beauty.

So she takes comfort in knowing,

The sky will always be dark,

Whether she can see it or not.

Then one day she hears a voice,

Of a little girl asking her a question,

“Excuse me, but can you help me? I’ve lost my way home,”

The woman replied,

“I cannot help you little one,

For I am blind and cannot see you or anything around me.”

She hears the girl sniffle then say,

“It’s so dark out here, I don’t know what to do.”

The woman says nothing, and the girl whispers,

“I’m so scared.”

The woman feels a tug at her heart,

Knowing that she can help.

Will she forgive the stars?

The little girl continues sniffling,

And now is softly sobbing.

She is so scared,

Can the woman let her hatred,

Interfere with this girl’s life?

Finally the woman whispers so softly,

She didn’t know if the girl could hear her,

“Look under the porch for a jar full of light.

When you open it, the stars will fly free and help you home.”

Silence.

But then she hears the girl shuffle away from her.

The creaking boards say,

She is heading up the porch.

Then the creaks and pops move,

To the end of the porch.

Then the rustle of clothing,

As she lays down to peer underneath.

A little gasp and a pop,

And the woman knows the girl will find her way home.

The little girl giggles and yells a quick,

“Thank you!”

Then the lightly padding feet,

Are growing faint,

And the little girl is finally gone.

The woman leans back in her rocking chair,

Her head tilted towards the stars she cannot see.

Though she still hates the stars for what they did to her,

She realizes that she cannot hide them away anymore.

Otherwise,

How will those who are lost,

Find their way home?