14 August 2012

Shooting Stars and Other Love Stories




Venus, Jupiter and the crescent moon,
a bright, three point line strung between
Perseids meteor shower winging stars across the sky
to mark our anniversary. We count them as if counting
our years or all that shot into being through us.

Is that how stars fling themselves to the
far ends of the universe, scatter star dust on every
surface to be taken up and formed into all that is?
Is this why we love to stretch out under the sky as
streaks mark their way across our vision and feel
our oneness with the universe?

Or is it the yearly reminder of mystery and
miracle that thrills us because we know it's about us, too.
We scooped up star stuff and made our life, made
our daughters, aligned ourselves with universal
coordinates, took our place in the scheme of things together,
streaked love across our lives, hurtled it here and there
at random and on purpose for thirty nine years, scorched by its scions.




Our anniversary is August 11 and is often marked by visible meteor showers. This year, the richest of them, Perseid Meteor Shower , was active and showed its ancient self in the pre-dawn sky. My Honey and I went out at 4AM and saw 10-12 shooting stars. What a great anniversary gift. Venus, Jupiter and the moon lined up particularly bright as well (my attempt at capturing this is the photo above).
Happy 39th, Honey! My God, aren't we brave?

 "…The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo; adventures as I used to call them. I used to think they were things the …folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull…But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or stay in the mind. Folks seem to have just landed in them, usually–their paths were laid that way…But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten.." ~from The Two Towers, © J.R.R. Tolkien.






This is posted for dVerse Poets Open Link Night hosted by Claudia who encourages us to share the "stuff you discover as you go". What more treasured discovery than love and shooting stars?

20 comments:

  1. What a great anniversary gift indeed...congrats on 39 years and certainly can feel the love and magic in each line... now what do i have to do to get a meteor shower for my next anniversary...smiles

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    1. Really! We've seen meteor showers all over the world on our anniversary and just love it!

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  2. Happy Anniversary. What a beautiful poem and a marriage that so obviously you thank your lucky stars for. Stars, like life, hold so many mysteries and miracles!

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    1. So true- I like how you said that- I do thank my lucky stars for my Honey!

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  3. Terrific poem- so well done both in content and form! Really lovely. So glad you were star-struck. k.

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  4. we scooped up the star stuff and made a life...i love that....happy anniversary...and i hope that you enjoy many more...39 years..wow...that is def something to be celebrated...

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    1. I do celebrate it! It's what we have to do. isn't it?

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  5. Congrats on 39 years of starry nights and other great stuff.

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  6. Happy Anniversary, wishing you many more !

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  7. Happy Anniversary! Beautiful tribute. And the heavens agree!

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    1. We found out about the meteor showers a couple of years after we married but have seen lots since.

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  8. What a profound gift from the universe, and what a fine tale to be telling--so nice to see the Tolkien quote in this context. The entire second stanza of this was solid gold. Lovely poem, and Happy Anniversary.

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    1. Each time it feels like a gift. Thanks, I like that our oneness with the universe is physically real.

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  9. How fortunate you are to have each other, with many more wonderful years ahead. And to have the start fall from the sky in ecstasy as you celebrate your life together... who could ask for more? :-)

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  10. Happy Anniversary!
    It takes a whole lot of courage and perseverance to work together toward a common goal. Keep it up, you two.

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