Absent Stars

And who has swept the stars away

not one remains in sight?

Too eager with their bristle brush

they've cleaned the sky at night.

So all those clustered gems I love

which give me peace of mind,

are huddled in an unknown place

that torchlight can not find.

A canvas stretches end to end

devoid of silver light.

The moon has left, those sparklers gone

will no one hear my plight?

If I should ask or make a wish

or plead for compromise,

will someone spare two tiny stars

and place them in my eyes?

Reviews

[Soren]

Taken literally, I too miss the stars. I remember when young going to the mountains with no outside light and seeing so many stars, now all gone due to light pollution. But figuratively, I feel that the present has taken the stars from our eyes with its form of light pollution. Nicely done Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Soren. I appreciate the thoughts you have shared here. All the best.

Chris

[Crowley]

That was a little piece of wonderful. Read like a bedtime rhyme. I will see if any of us have some stars to share, if not you can have all mine.

[Chris Shaw]

Aw what a softie you are Crowley. Thank you for checking this one out.

Chris

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

We all need something to believe in. and when we can not see what we are looking for it can be a very lonely place. Wonderful use of metaphors in this poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello pleased to meet you, and welcome to my page. I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you so much.

Chris

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

You are very welcome.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

OMG Chris! Absolutely stellar (!) poem with superb imagery, form, cadence and rhyme. I can picture a mother reading or singing this to her child at bedtime. Every line is lyrical, musical and memorable. What a star-swept imagination you have! Oh, and about your eyes- I see a star-shaped sparkle twinkling from each one.....Perfect Poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Annette, your comments very much appreciated. Thank you.

Chris

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Ah this touches my heart. Abs loved the last lines. The night calls to us in strange ways and that with comes with it...
Lovely imagery too. :)

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Dr Y. Pleased you enjoyed the imagery in this poem. Thank you for checking in.

Chris

[AYVID N]

Chris, this poem just flows and touches such tender spots in the reader's heart! Like a little girl momentarily lost on a dark night, without her much-loved, familiar lights. Moments of trepidation, we are all too familiar with in our lives. I love the imagery of the dark night it conjured in my mind. Almost magical. So beautifully written!

[Chris Shaw]

You are very generous DIVYA and I am thankful for your comments.

Chris

[emmajoy]

Tempted to just leave the words: 'Beautiful but also, sadly true.' However, need to say, - forgive the pun, you've truly outshone your skill as a poet by writing this.. from your heart.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Em. Thank you for your lovely review. Appreciated very much.

Chris

[emmajoy]

It's a beautiful poem.

[matelotrod]

You are the star Chris, this is written in just the right time after about three nights of dazzling moon shine. Blame the moon for outshining your stars and just give it a couple of nights more and your stars will re-appear. Loved the poem and will look forward to more. Rod.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Rod, thanks for that lovely review. I'll keep posting, if you keep reading :))

Chris

[θεά]

You are a metaphysical genius, aren't you, Chris? The beautiful allusion of the astral entitities which stand as harbingers of hope and light is employed with such delicate rhythm. The stars and the luminiscence of the moon provide clarity of vision, without which the night seems opaque and obscure. Your narrator's plaint is visceral and you convey her haplessness and blindness without cutting any corners.

I know for a fact, that light or love is never too far away, only when you allow them to enter your filtered walls.

Beautiful writing, chris. You are as impactful as prolific.

Cheers!
M.

[Chris Shaw]

You are far too generous Mallika:)

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

Gentle, wonderful and perfect flow of words led to amazing ending. I did enjoy this poem dear Chris. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Chris Shaw]

So pleased you enjoyed my lines Coyote. Thank you so much.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

I did enjoy and you are welcome Chris.

[Maxwell Ryder]

I think you do a fabulous job here of conveying that we’ve erased the night sky with all our lights here on Earth. Imagine how lucky folks were back then.

[Chris Shaw]

Yes Maxwell. We don't get those beautiful star studded nights very often. Such a pity. Thank you for your visit and your thoughts.

Chris