Final Star Poem by Olivia Rudd

Somewhere right outside the final star
there hangs a piece of paper
with the rest of all
inscribed on its smoothness
a shimmering sun and glowing moon
alternate and create the tides of days
the rest of us
anything which is infinite
is finite within
is hanging just outside your reach
your utmost fear
strung out for all to see
close your eyes
but the afterimage is seared upon your heart
travel beyond that last star
and you will find another
the secret path to the next star
a second chance
a remembrance
a forgotten glimpse of the wind
that thought to tease you
that wondered if wonder was a place
and you could go there
and revel in the purity of naivete
sparkling stars are but balls of flame
ignited by lightly treading hunger
that reached into the cold
and felt a rock
hard cold and lifeless
yet with the spark of life
with a chance of new luminosity
that stretched beyond the trembling echo of feeble human impulse
to reach to the ground
and reach for that glimpse of paper
in a day
at the end of all days and everything to come
it was loud and aching
beating its way through our spirit and giving our universe
a beat to tap its feet to
a minute to breathe
reflecting the pain of the world
in a little mirror
that made us
forced us
to see just how human we are
and we can't always be healed by killing
we just have to surrender to the driving beat of heart
but to be a phoenix
rise out of the ashes
to be reborn out of our remains
dust to dust
we are but dust
dust insinuates its way into the deluge of being
we are but specks in a speck of a speck
who knows who will find their way out of this mind trap
this mind trapped in a shaft of darkness
and at the end
it's too dark to see beyond