I wished on the first star
and it was a variable star–

that seemed somehow
appropriate.

And was originally named
after a falling bird of prey,

in some legends reached
by a bridge of magpies,

which appeals for reasons
which should be obvious

by now.  You are far above
these things, never even

mentioning your birth date
for fear that someone might

draw a conclusion from
the stars.  Did you feel

relieved to just forget
about it all?  I don’t really

know you, so I wouldn’t
know.  But if you ever

wonder why some
are drawn to superstition,

it’s the coldness of people
just like you.  Have you ever

felt longing, truly known its
magnitude? Somehow

I doubt it, but wouldn’t
know that either.

Of course, a scientist,
I should know better,

I do know better, but
there’s still comfort

even in misplaced tradition,
even empirically in sighting

an object so old and so
constant and so very

far away.