Warrior Queens at 1:05 a.m. (Day 492)

black sky at 1:05 a.m.  billions of stars 
stretching inconceivably beyond sight 

wondering: does life pulse or throb or ooze 

somewhere out in that vast dark desert   

or do we live and love and sleep alone

owners of endlessness we seek to end

past speaks to present whispering secrets 

future stargazers may wish to know   

how small we tend to feel  how unimportant 

our concerns in immensity’s shadow 

worries become clouds of flitting gnats    

responsibilities float like dandelion seeds

   

at the escarpment’s edge  facing outward 

tragedies and triumphs seem to blur and blend

did boadicea laugh in triumph as romans fled  

or weep for those whose blood she spilled

does midnight’s bending of right and wrong 
excuse the cruel from blame  condemn the kind

did zenobia’s golden chains belie her end

or did she take a stand and starve herself

at 2:00 a.m. the heart leans toward truth

even if courage soars toward its own death 

yet darkness still cools our burning world 

and all those beautiful planets spin around

(c) 2018, by Hannah Six

Image: Comet Lovejoy, NASA.gov