star bright

On a clear moonless night in Canada
Looking north out over Whitefish Lake
The stars light up the dark silent sky.
There are no pictures to show you this.

The north star in the center so bright,
The very big big dipper swinging round it
Marking the hours passing
Counterclockwise, handle for a hand.

Around midnight I stand on the dock
Looking to the east along the shore
There’s the milky way millions of stars
Arching over angled like the earth’s angle.

Let me fix these things in my memory.
Next week I return to the noise and lights.
The city that never sleeps never sees these stars.
Let me remember the universe is out there.