Star Signs

“I thought I was dreaming,” you said,
slowly unfurling beneath the stars
where we lay all night, long after
the mountain to our left had swallowed the moon
and Orion had moved into a stealthier position
behind the blue gum tree
so he could better stalk his nightly prey,
a never-ending hunt for home and the real story
of how we got here,
two human beings huddled up
in this womb-like darkness,
warm and welcoming and willing us
to wake up and wonder at the Milky Way
burning from mountaintop to far horizon,
all the meaning we could ever wish for
wound up in these wandering lights.

Traces

For ages we’ve sung

Perhaps they’ll listen now