Like Shooting Stars Poem by Tom J. Mariani

I heard him say,
When asked
What it felt like when love was lost
When depression overcame,

'Like no love was left in my heart
I checked other parts of my body
It's no longer there either
I'm not sure when it burned out

It was there once
Felt by the rest of my body
Intensified by proximity
To its intended target

Love generated its own light
Created its own heat
I looked for words to describe it
Landed on shooting stars

A thrill to see
Something special
While flying by
But where do they go

That's the problem
I found out
They aren't going
Indefinitely anywhere

For a short time
We see a visable light
Created by them
Then the light is gone

Small pieces of dust rock ice
Debris from the tail of a passing comet
Ignited by friction visable part a meteor
Just passing through our atmosphere

We only see the light
Meteoroids are what causes it
Not as romatic sounding
As Shooting Stars

If by chance one's unusally large
Over a few kilograms
Some parts will
Survive the burning

What's left
That falls to earth
Some say is
Just a piece of cold rock

What was on the outside
Heated up
Burned up
And is gone

What hits earth
Is now called a meteorite
Differnent names
For the different stages

Actually the term
Falling in love
Is a pretty accurate metaphor
When compared to shooting stars

Made up of dust rock and ice
Made visable when heated by friction
Then either slams to earth leaving a scarr
Or is vaporized and is gone.'

That's what he said,
In so many words.