Author Information
A Black Star in the Night Sky
A black star in the night sky.
A metal star hangs above all others,
Every one below admiring, watching closely, saying
“This is the one to lead us,
For it is the best and highest of us all”
And suddenly—
A new star comes—
A golden star
It sits at he bottom, but soon floats high,
Even higher than the first,
Not having to try to make it to the top.
A darkened star, trying to climb higher,
Leaping in the air,
Crashing into others,
Trying to drag the topmost down,
All the time sinking,
Lower, lower still—
In the end, all stand above.
They mock it,
Cursing the star for trying to take the favorite’s place
And suddenly—
Yet another star appears—
This star,
A fake golden color
Pushes it’s way to the top,
And sends the favorite to the bottom
The black star hates the favorite star.
They sit at the bottom together
Yet the favorite is higher still.
But while the others turn their back on the black star
The favorite says kind words,
And tells the black one
“You can make it back to the top if you try.
You may not believe it, but I do.”
The black star does not believe it.
How could it get back to the top?
The star is dejected and forgotten.
But the star at the top—
The fake star calls down
“Come join me, if you wish.
You can come back to the top.”
The elated star floats to the fake one’s side
Past all the others
Leaving the favorite at the bottom
What joy!
Back at the top!
Oh, how they all love me again,
The black star thinks
But no—
Those below hiss and boo
At the star who has left the favorite underneath.
The star who encouraged.
The star who believed.
The black star looked at the golden further down
“Don’t worry!”
The golden star called.
“I know you can make it to the top!
I believe in you!”
What?
Had the black star not made it to the top already?
Just then—
The black star looks to the fake and realizes
They are not at equal height.
The fake is just a little above.
“May I rise to hang beside you?”
The black star asks,
For are they not friends now?
The fake star looks down and says
“Of course not.
If you come to close, you may push me below yourself.”
The black star cannot believe it.
Why would I do such a thing?
The star wonders
But the angry cries from below
Answer the question.
The black star looks down
To the golden star.
The golden star smiles and says
“I believe in you.”
In that moment—
The black star becomes angry
And it brings itself up to reach the fake star
And it begins to drag the fake star down
All the way down
The black star sinks
Taking the fake star with it
All the way down
The other stars shout insults
At such treachery.
But the black star ignores them.
The black reaches the golden
And the three hang together, side by side.
But—
On the way down,
The fake star had been rubbed against the points
Of the other stars
And the golden had come away
To reveal black
And the black star
Which had worked hard on the way down
Had been rubbed away also
To reveal a golden center
“Congratulations!”
The favorite star says
“You made it to the top!”
But the darker star is not yet satisfied
And lifts the favorite up to a star just a little above.
“This star is your favorite,”
Says the black.
“Take this one to the top.”
So now—
One golden star hangs above the rest,
Encouraging all others below
Leading them with kindness
And at the bottom rest two stars
One black at the furthest way down
And a second golden
Happy were it rests
Still at the bottom,
But having made it to the top.
