Stargazer

Stargazer

It is
the middle of the night,
and the brightest stars,
some falling
and shooting
and whizzing across
overhead,
most others staying put
for the moment,
have taken up
all the space
in the sky.

I had ventured
into the darkness
a little while ago
to place something
in the mailbox,
wondering what,
if any animals
I might surprise
as I walked into the woods
to the road.

It was I
who was surprised,
by the unusually balmy air
that embraced me,
and by the desperately sweet smell
of plants
as they surrender
to summer.

I stood still
and inhaled,
and my face was enveloped
by a scent
I could never identify
but do not want
to live without.

Instead of continuing back
to work,
I laid outside
in the hammock
looking up and out
and inward
all at once,
marveling
at the perfection
of 3 a.m.
and the beautiful secrets
it contains.

Alex Shapiro August 2008