Stars

I spend a lot of time these days watching the stars. It’s hard to understand how far away they are when they seem so close. I go out each night expecting them to change. To somehow show me the magic of the universe and all it’s secrets. But they don’t give up those truths so easily. They keep their magic close at hand. Never tipping off a stranger with a smile or blink. I really never cared about them before, or at least not until Banjo left. Banjo was a great companion and friend. Through the years we had spent many a carefree day wander the hills and valleys of East Mississippi. I tied a bandana around his neck like the one Bobby McGee wore in that song with so many beautiful verses about being free. Banjo didn’t care about the stars or Venus and Mars. He just loved to run. He never thought about being free. It was part of his nature. I see him now and then when the stars line up just right in a Virgo night. His tongue hanging down and those eyes so blue and full of light. I swore they would never fade away. But youth has a way of slipping away and the sun sets on our fate. And then one day that appointment comes that we all have to make. And then the light dwindles and it moves from the face to the sky. And that is why I watch the stars. I watch them to see the light in his eyes and those that passed before him. For a boy never has a friend like a dog and all dogs know that, they just don’t let on about it.