it was night
& the stars

when the magpie
called & left

a withered
feather, two

voicemails,
transcripts

unintelligible,
urgent, noise

on the line
crackling fire

& you said
it was time

for space
& the stars

arranged
themselves

pearled strings
bleating songs

in morse code
& I wanted

to taste more
than dust

that hot
mist all

summer,
earth gusts

drowning
the stars

& you said
to buy wine

but wine
& apologies

are cheap
thrills I

can’t afford
so I drove

all day
to reach

the dusk
to watch

the moon
& the stars

just me
& the birds,

& half a pack
of console cigarettes

from the last
time I saw

the night
& the stars,

stale embers
tracing the dark