Silent stars

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
the silent stars go by.
---Phillips Brooks

In times of tragedy and pain, sleep eludes us. The more tired we get, the more exhausted our minds and bodies become, the less likely we are to submit to rest and peace. We toss and turn, running over mistakes, tragic events, 'if-only's, held hostage by the things our minds held at bay during the daylight. For days, we can stumble through nights of not-sleep, days of barely-there --- going through the motions of living.
What a relief then, what a gift --- the night of deep, dreamless sleep. Whatever brings it on, whatever coaxes it out of our psyches, we sleep. And we heal. And above it all, the stars. The stars.


...so here we stand, whoever we are,
bathed in the light of a star...