Afternoon dwindles—
I sit in my back yard.
The letter is crumbled
and stained now
the ink is worn—
smeared like the worn
words seared
in my mind.
It’s okay,
it doesn’t need to be read
not anymore.
The sun, barely peeping
above the Earth’s crust
is burning yellowish
orange thorns of light
toward heaven.
I feel alone—so alone.
It seems the world is my own.
I lean my head back
on the wooden fence
behind me.
Then I see it—
just one star
a sparkling flicker of light
alone in the universe
just as I.
Sharon Palmeri
Original copyright 1965
Copyright Library of Congress 1995
Artwork:
** Sunset –Karen Goad
**Star –unknown
Published in:
Hoosier Horizon Magazine 1995
