Infinity
By Courtney Mitchel

Lying in the clearing
Our fingers curled tightly into fists around the grass
To keep from flying off the Earth
We stared at the stars
I remarked on their splendor
But your turned your head toward me and said
All I see are cold, distant lights
Buried in black.
Still staring into the depths of the universe
I explained that distance has no meaning
These lights, at different distance
Touch worlds not unlike our own
Heat deserts and tint buildings at sunset
Cast light on bloodshed and enmity and alien shortcomings
Tan children and fade flags
The light that left at the same time as
The light cast on our distant ancestors
Is just now reaching foreign planets
The black, at first glance dull, is infinity itself
And I knew, without looking at you, that you had turned your head
Back to the distant, roaring spheres of gas
And, with eyes closed, saw them.