Separate States Matter

Late in the night 

we text about our travels. 

We share our feelings 

under the vast sky 

that connects us. 

You tell me 

the stars look beautiful tonight, 

so I brave the mayflies and mosquitoes 

to watch with you 

as stars flicker and pulse. 

My cloudless sky reveals 

layers of the cosmos. 

You see it, too, 

and remind me that 

the universe pulled us together.

I think back to 

light years ago when 

I felt that inexplicable pull 

that drew us together. 

Our mutual gravitational attraction

was both predictable and astonishing. 

Is Andromeda like me – 

surprised to find out

she was hurtling toward something 

instead of standing still? 

I remember holding my breath 

under an LED sun, 

and being amazed that 

this moment took billions of years 

to occur, before colliding 

with your Milky Way.

Tonight’s sky is not overwhelming 

like other night skies 

I have experienced, you say. 

I agree, and I imagine 

my eyes must sparkle as 

I anticipate the flickering and 

pulsing we will experience soon 

when we are once again 

under the same moon.