Good Night, Ryohei

The stars are cool and distant,
dream options
for a long, luxurious sleep.

You look at them. Find
the one that is
your namesake. And your
friends'. And
mine.

They are not close together.

In fact, you wonder
how much distance lies
between one and another,
between you and them.

They were there yesterday,
too, when you didn't see them,
they were there
for thousands of years

and when you're eighty
you will see them
just as clearly,

the familiar if indistinct
form they make,
their lopsided yet constant
presence.

by Susan Casey