Last night,
Venus and Orion
seeped through my stratosphere.
They dangled above me
like curious hummingbirds.
They spoke in glances.
They brushed my nose
with fiery kisses.

So modest in their station
are the planets and stars!
So genuine
and unassuming.
They glimmer lightly,
sporadically popping in
as if to say, "See how beautiful
we are."

But when your eyes meet them,
they boast nothing of themselves.
They only grin,
aware of their placid power
over the poets
and the dreamers.

They keep us from
filling the universe with
arrogant wordiness.
They never forget
the beauty of silence.

-ajs