The Stars

(Starry Night drawing by Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890,
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter)

I know better — but my memories of watching the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, as a youngster in Manitoba have me almost convinced that the night skies crackled as the fluorescent waves of color spun above me.

THE STARS

When night comes
I stand on the steps and listen.
Stars swarm in the yard
and I stand in the dark.
Listen, a star fell with a clang!
Don’t go out in the grass with bare feet;
my yard is full of shards.

~ Edith Södergran (1892-1923), Finnish-Swedish poet