You are a constellation

a poem for my nonbinary friends and family

Photo by Zane Lee on Unsplash

You are a constellation
Many points
Bright lights
Sometimes light-years away
But always waiting for
A dark sky
Thinning clouds
And a waning moon

Your light
Connects us
Through stories of ourselves
And our origins
Told around campfires
In silly voices
And stern lectures
Yearning to be written down

But the space
Between each point of light
Is vast
And significant
The quiet between drum beats
The white page amongst letters
The unanswered questions
Thrumming

We draw your shape
Out of memory
Given by mouth
Told over and over
And never question
What form you would take
What dreams you would walk
If the choice was yours

Even now
Your light reaches us
And tethers our hearts
To one another
We forget
Your sacrifice
Of self and shape
And hope

I would reach for you
My Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Orion
And ask you
What do you see?
Take my light
And write stories of beginnings
And trust
That I will light your path on the water

Your trans friend,

Robin