Meteor Sprinkle?

The sunset before the momentous watch!

Two,

only two gone-in-a-flash streaks.

Not exactly a shower,

not even really a sprinkle.

Standing hopeful in my yellow nightie,

in the dark,

in my yard—

that same yard where I envision invader robbers crouching in the shadows.

In the dark,

confusing my collie, who had followed me out to pee—him, not me.

Staring skyward, it’s so hard on the neck,

but I was determined,

4 a.m. to 5 a.m. determined.

Was it Pacific Standard Time?  Or Central?

Where is the light show, the Pleiades’ panorama of shooting lights?

Two.

For all my whining and neck stretching,

I saw two.

But the slivered moon, Venus pulsating attention, and Orion’s belt

kept me company as I waited . . . and waited,

their crisp lights shining in my yard,

uncovering every hiding place a wild coyote or nocturnal snake could possibly hide,

streaming light, making sure all the neighbors with second-story windows could tell,

could tell I was on watch in the dark,

in my yard,

in my yellow nightie—

on the watch for two.

The sunset before the momentous watch! Don’t confuse the birds for shooting stars.
Stars are brighter and faster . . . at least, I think so.

 

About apronheadlilly

wife and mother, musician, composer / poet, teacher, and observer of the world, flawed Christ-follower
This entry was posted in Humor, Photography, Poetry and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

20 Responses to Meteor Sprinkle?

  1. melodylowes says:

    Would it make you mad if I said I saw 5 or 6 while watching fireworks at the lake, not eve knowing that a shower was expected? (How far can you throw?….) 🙂

  2. susansplace says:

    Would it make you feel better to know that I wish I had seen them too! I have one “momentous watch” with a grandson many years ago. We lay on our backs in the backyard and stared, and stared and waited and waited — dog whining; wanting us to come back inside. We saw wonderful shooting stars and I will always cherish that memory! Want to do it again!!!

  3. dorannrule says:

    Awwww. But, at least you saw two! And your blog post is lovely, and your photos are too, and your song-like lyrics are too (except for the collie peeing of course). Thanks for sharing your excitement and expectation. 🙂

  4. gingerbreadcafe says:

    I have done this waiting and watching too, the bonus as you say if it’s not cloudy are the stars!

  5. pattisj says:

    We have too much lighting in our area to see them. I would have been happy with two, but not at that hour! lol The sleep was better. 🙂 Your sunsets were nice, though.

  6. peacenikkie says:

    I Love your writing, Lilly. As if reading Steinbeck, I visualized you in that (well-worn and well-loved?) yellow nightie, more concerned about the “creepy crawlies” and nocturnal predators than the neighbors (who were most likely busy sleeping, anyway)! I see your beautiful “fur baby,” quizzical expression wondering just what in the world Mom was up to. I feel your pain, neck tilted back for what seemed like eternity waiting for those two lonely shooting stars. Somehow, I think those stars were a special sign, just for you! ~0;-*

  7. Lindy Lee says:

    Have you ever seen the movie, “What Planet Are You From?” starring Annette Bening & Garry Shandling? Your photography & words remind me of that movie, where Bening says to Shandling that she loves the way he looks at the stars in the sky…

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