Moon Witnessed Love

A Pinchful of Pain

'O stars of night!'

I whispered to the night-scented air.

'Can you tell me a story 

which you remember vividly?'

'Yes, we do,'

the stars twinkled in chorus,

'there was once a starfish;

not the one at the feet of the sea,

but a fish that could talk to us

as he had a star on his snout.'

'That's so fascinating!'

I flipped my arms

and the wind high-fived me.

'We too were surprised,'

the stars flashed in jade blue,

'so we asked him for the cause.

He said that it was a gift from his mother

who had a crescent moon

cradling two stars.

He requested our help,

and we agreed.

He wanted to find the other star

his mother said was his sister,

and not only find her

but protect her from an unseen

danger.

One of the stars on her snout

missed an arm

which was a bad omen.

He wanted to take that curse upon himself,

for her sister is dearer to him, he said.'

'What happened?'

I clutched at my blanket.

'He found her,'

they said,

'and that curse was lifted from her.'

'What happened exactly?'

I looked at a dimly glowing star

when all emitted pure light.

'It cost him his life,'

the star replied,

'because only a brother's love

can protect a sister's smile

even if he were at war with the world.'

(19 January, 2022)