Lessons of Stars
by Cheyenne Zaremba
- people die like stars
becoming unstable
collapsing slowly
and then
all at once
becoming a void.
people live like stars
glimmering beams of light
burning balls of hydrogen
illuminating the dark
for the lost traveler
for the awestruck stargazer.
- stars are simple,
they do one thing well:
they burn
and when they’re done burning
they collapse
sometimes taking their neighbors with them.
pulling that dark cloth into an endless spiral,
a deep abyss,
the creators of light become the destroyers,
selfishly consuming,
almost like humans.
but stars do not worry
about being bright enough.
stars don’t ask permission
to shine.
stars don’t care about whether they’re:
too skinny
too fat
too Hispanic
too black
too gay
too fem
too much.
stars are perfect just by existing.
iii. In the face of the black vastness
of oblivion,
the stars shine.
They are the only thing that deserve
to make me cry.
When I stand beneath the blanket
of the sky
and somehow feel that I
am meaningless
and yet that I
am meaningful,
because the stars remind me that I am.
Existence is enough;
permanence is pointless.
But on this night
I wonder if there will be one point less
of light
in the sky
and that’s what brings tears to my eyes
because I’d hate to have to say goodbye
to anyone,
to anything.
- There is a time to shine
and a time to die.
A star knows that,
and so it twinkles while it burns,
drawing invisible lines in the sky
connecting it to others.
It creates pictures,
it sparks stories,
it dwindles,
and it dies.
But in its absence
darkness gives way to light.
A new star emerges
no longer eclipsed.
It is only in darkness that it glows bright.
It is only with death that it is given life.
Now is your time to shine
and twinkle
and draw invisible lines to others:
lovers
mothers
brothers.
Paint a picture,
create a story.
When your core burns out
fight if you must,
but realize your death makes way
for someone else.
Give up your existence.
Give up your importance.
Give up your insignificance.
Become darkness.
Become absence.
Become bliss.
Create the background for someone else.
Cheyenne Zaremba is a Master’s student at Villanova University, where she studies Communication. When not studying, Cheyenne enjoys visiting cemeteries, cooking, doing crafts, and taking care of her 20+ plant children. Her poetry and flash fiction have been previously published in Canvas Literary Journal, The Beacon, and Rundelania.
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