Star Light, Star Bright

-->

Star Light, Star Bright

(subtitle) 99 reasons why Avery and Roah should get married.

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have the wish I wish tonight

One.

This poem began four years ago. It was a Tuesday. It began when this hippie looking kid showed up in my class even though his name didn't appear on the roll. I still wonder if the world has any record of him at all. This poem began when she enrolled in Creative Writing and I first noticed that she liked to destroy 99-cent journals with her talent. This poem began when I realized that every time he cut his hair, her hair grew longer.

Two.

I met my wife when I was in high school. So obviously that logic must work for everybody. Avery and Roah. Roah and Avery. There are too many reasons why this union makes sense.

Three.

When she was in my class...I wanted to teach her, but I also wanted her to teach me. It's like she was my daughter and my big sister at the same time. And he was like our black sheep cousin who kept getting drunk at all the barbecues and asking us if we wanted to go into business with him selling soap or fire alarms or whatever. And maybe this union would never work because incest even seemed wrong to Shakespeare and maybe they already went out once or maybe she's rubber and he's glue and

apples oranges and pineapple too.

Four.

It just feels right. And I think that's all love is anyway. Who cares if it makes sense? Who cares if everyone's on board? All I know is that I woke up last night at 3am with heartburn and a stomachache. And it didn't go away until I wrote this poem.

Five.

You know, on second thought, maybe this ain't such a good idea. Maybe it's not fair to them. Or even more important, it's not fair to us. Because one day they might have children and one day those children might wear glasses with no lenses and be vegetarians and have punk haircuts and wear ironic t-shirts and listen to music that nobody's ever heard of before.

And one day they might pick up a pen and the universe will never stop expanding.

It's not fair to the local libraries they'd live next to.

It's not fair to thrift stores.

It's not fair to the middle of the night to pluck two stars out of the sky just so I can sleep better. Maybe I should just shut my blinds and quit teaching my kids to wish upon stars. Because Pinocchio was just a movie. And none of us will ever have this wish we wish tonight.

Six.

Avery, Roah. Whatever you decide, you'll always be married in my mind. And when the time comes, I'll tell all of your adopted children about you. In fact, this afternoon, I practiced this poem for my sophomores and they looked at me like I was crazy. Sometimes that's what our children do, am I right? Avery? Roah?

I want to carve your names into the trees that will one day become the covers of composition notebooks.

Avery and Roah. Say it with me now. Avery and Roah. 2012. Four more years. Now that's something that would truly save America. That's something that could actually get me to register to vote. So if you won't do it for yourselves...at least do it for your country. Do it for Paris or Alaska or the moon or wherever you guys are living now. And be sure to write me when you do. Because innovation is in a recession. And hope and change aren't just platforms for fundraising. They're all that ever mattered. And all that ever will.