Our Child

Our child is gone

she is leaving home.

Why would she do this to us?

I remember

when we were as stars

dancing in our

own moonlight

and the Sun held up

ice chips and gemstones

in a chandelier to look

at itself from every direction

while Cassini ran fingers

through night’s hair

like shepherd moons.

We never thought of ourselves

but now the Sun’s mirrors

are growing brighter

and humanity is far away.

What did we do wrong?

It’s too late to start over.

Our surfaces are dry,

our atmospheres gone.

We sacrificed most of our lives.

We can never grow them again.

What could we have done?

Nothing to do now

but wait for the end.

So,

“Embrace me,” said Moon.

“It would destroy us,” said Earth.

“Then just dance with me again

like we did at her birth.”