So Small

She tugged on my shirt,

A child of my kin,

And asked me on a black night

"Are stars people in heaven?"

The stars beamed.

"No," I started and stared.

"We are stars who died long ago.

We are the stars who died

And went to Heaven."

Author's Note

So I changed some things up to attempt to make it move more smoothly. It seemed to attract a good bit of attention, so I made things a bit deeper and (I feel) more poetic and questionable. I understand some people get offended by the reality of science, so I apologize if this offends you, however, if you want an argument, you won't find it here.

Thanks for reading!

Reviews

[Epipsychologist]

This I poem is founded on a poetic interpretation of science, which makes it inherently interesting in my opinion. I think we forget (perhaps that's not the right word) that we were once part of a star. Also, I've been told that some Greek philosopher (it was probably Plato) thought that the night sky was a giant black sphere containing the world and sun and moon, and that stars were good souls who broke through it when they ascended. This poem reminded me of that.

[aria]

I love this! I love the feeling of loss and awe all wrapped up together. It made me think of a poem I wrote once called "Shiver" :

Shiver

The moonlight and the light from my porch
conspire to create wide rays that spread across the lawn.
dead leaves and dead grass sparkle
tiny diamond drops
of star and cold.
a shiver
climbs branches to reach
frosty tips.
no tears spill here.
I finally see the pinpricks in the sky
as a million suns bigger than I can think.

© aria 2012

I feel like our ideas are separate but connected somehow. As for what you say in your Author's Note: I like the idea of science and emotion mixed up together. I guess that's what religion is . . . or faith??

Anyway, nice write!!!

[Christoph Poe]

I can see where they're connected in a really cool way! It's almost like mine can be a continuation of yours. :) That's neat! (And great poem. I loved the imagery.)

Thanks again!

[Priscilla Sayers]

very thought provoking answer as it has so many ways to be perceived...
Excellent! Profound

[Christoph Poe]

Thank you. :)

[Priscilla Sayers]

Thank you, for such a wonderful read.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

This is beautifully penned... I have a grandfather who has a lot of Native American in him, not sure which tribe, I'm terrible with that stuff, but he was from Oklahoma; anyway, he would say that people are fallen stars and I never really understood what he meant, but this sort of reminded me of that. I like this piece, and I can't imagine that it would have incited any kind of arguement, because it is just sheerly beautiful and emotionally honest. Really enjoyed the piece, the flow, the imagery, the tiny voice, etc. Well done...

[Christoph Poe]

Thank you! In a sense, we physically are the remains of stars. I don't see why there's so many people who argue with it. (But not so much here since this is a creatively open organization. Haha) I said nothing about the 'soul' and anything deeper than that.

So you're grandfather was right. :)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

:) I wrote something akin to this the other day..."The Cycle", and I was afraid whilst writing that some would find it going against "nature" or something, but I do believe that we are all connected, we are all energy floating through this life and spending some of our time within these mortal coils that we called bodies. Anyway, that's heavy stuff...I loved your piece.

[Holly Mason]

depth in words...like the personal thoughts associated with this
your book looks interesting as well...I have looked at first chapter and art work...I have to admit that the story sounds interesting but the art wok makes me want to know simply because I assume that the art work is based on the story...and the girls outfit seems to be almost Native Indian looking which really makes me want to know where your words are heading to*) also like the concept of the she is human in a world of non-humans....reads interestingly
nice to meet you...I love cars myself are you are 2002 Camero catches your fancy what about a 1970 Buick convertable skylark...STAGE 1 ???? original forest green ...just wonderin*)
thank you for sharing

[Christoph Poe]

The art work is definitely based on the story, and painted specifically FOR the story. Haha. Thanks for reading by the way! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I have never heard of a skylark. I'm going to have to google it here in a bit.

[MoriartyMesa]

I see a guess what might be thought of as a Southern Philosophy

[Christoph Poe]

Are you from the south?

[Shane Mohamed]

Very poignant and whimsically deep as you said. It is as a part of him questioned a mystical fiction, yet at the same time, he satisfies himself by stating his own belief, even if it's surreal. A short poem a very complex and intricate meaning. A great work of fiction. Thank you for sharing.

[Jack Cassidy]

Well, since we are in reality stardust, I can see where this might spark some debate ... Although, I like how you conceptualize it and make it about people's life process, as opposed to what our body is composed of.... I enjoyed this a lot...

[AC]

Good point getting across here very subtly.

[MoonlitAngel]

This is a very interesting piece. I had to read it twice just because I thought I had read it wrong the first time. The concept behind it is fantastic. Reading your author's note, I got a little confused with your comment about reality of science. I personally don't see how this could bring forth a religion vs. science argument. I just think it's a well-crafted poem.

As poetry can be taken in more than one way, I think it's interesting that [if indeed it is two people on Earth talking] it is Earth that is "heaven". It's a different concept, as I've heard some people reference Earth as Hell.

But I am confused on part of your poem. One like says, "And asked me on a black night" to later say "The stars beamed". Saying black night is saying there is no light, or do you mean there is no moon? You could always change black to quiet, or just leave it the way you have it. I like it, I just got a little confused, because I wasn't expecting the appearance of stars as you said black. I hope that made sense. >_<

Good poem though, it's very thought provoking.

[Christoph Poe]

(I could have worded that better in the description. Haha. It makes me sound like an a*****e, when I'm really not. I just didn't want any arguments/religious debates going on. That's wasn't meaning I'm not religious, or that I'm hard headed and stubborn. I just want people to see the creativity and art in it.)

I could change 'black' to something else. It's not a specific term that I'm endowed to use. It's just there for effect.

And I struggled with how I needed to phrase this conversation, and I see that it may still be confusing to some of you. :/

[MoonlitAngel]

No don't worry about the author's note. You don't sound like an a*****e, you just sound like you didn't want to get into a heated debate, especially with how passionate some people can be on that subject. Don't be upset about how your poem is confusing. To be honest, the more confusing it is the more room there is for thought and speculation. That's what poetry (in my opinion) is meant to be like - there not to be written out blatantly, but to be written in a way that allows the reader to contemplate what is being said. For me, that's the best kind of poetry to be read. The kind that isn't easy to understand, but more of a riddle to figure out, and you did that beautifully with this poem here.

[Matt]

Ah, I miss the previous version. I kind of liked the way it ended and let the reader fill in the rest. Though saying that it does seem to flow more smoothly. I don't know if it's just my accent or the way I'm reading it but I start to stumble through a couple of different lines depending on how I read it. Seems to flow nicer at a slow pace.