Silent Star

Contributor: Cynthia Pitman

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Dedicated to Rebecca Pitman

Silent star,
I look above and behold you
wrapped in the cold dark shawl
of endless night.
Were you born bright?
Or are you a mere reflection
of our scorching sun
ablaze with fire?
Do its flames set you alight,
making you sparkle and shine
in the deep, lonely void
in whose midst you must drift?
Or is the light you shine your own,
born of that kind of fire
that kindles from within —
a fire whose first burst may be scarce
but whose fire fast flames full,
hot enough to pierce a heart
and jolt it to life once more?
If so, if you are the creator
of your own fire,
maybe I, though now frozen within,
can someday rekindle,
take light,
shine anew,
and begin to live again.


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I began writing poetry again last spring after a 30-year hiatus. This poem was written for my daughter, Rebecca, after her husband, Kevin Nagle, died on 11/26/18.