before the stars came down

people feared the worst

the cities were evacuated 

houses were nothing but boxes

a lot of people sought churches

heads down

eyes closed

this was supposed to be the end

but when they finally came down

from the far ends of space

they came down at night

they came softly

landed in lawns and streets

making hardly any sounds as they hit

little glowing spheres

turning everything to day again

i was hiding under a porch

when one landed near me

i thought i heard it breathing

i picked it up carefully

it was tiny in my palm

it felt wet in my hands

like a warm fish

it smelled like rosewater

i walked around the streets

watching these little orbs 

trembling

they looked as if they’d always been there

they also brought down satellites

dogs dragged them between their teeth

the sun looked so much smaller

eventually the people returned

many carrying their own stars

everybody stopped using lights

and got dark curtains for sleeping

i still have mine

i keep it in my pocket

but sometimes i still look 

at the sky all lit up

and wonder what the moon looks like now

if it’s still there

or if it went somewhere else

somewhere dark for it to rest