Looking To The Past Poem by Juan Olivarez

Sitting outside on a starlit night,
I gaze at the heavens, in all their splendor.
Watching the twinkling of the stars.

They shine so beautifully,
With their incandescent light.
In a myriad of glorious colors.

Red, gold, white, blue, yellow, green,
Colors that would make a rainbow blush.
The jewels of the crown of heaven.

And my mind starts to wonder,
How many of those stars I see,
Are no longer there.

Wondering how the distances in space,
Can be so mind boggling,
That a single light year, is beyond human comprehension.

How long have these glorious lights been traveling,
To get to my eyes, my human eyes.
That tonight gaze at the sky.

And I sit here, knowing in my heart,
How foolish human beings can be,
Thinking that all this, could be, an accident.

12/29/11 Alton Texas