The Caretakers

Children are the caretakers

Of stars who can't remember 

how or when they fell.

It may have been a Tuesday

It all happened so fast.

One minute they

Were defying gravity

Like the Flying Wallendas

And then..

They tumbled 

And flailed

landing like the

twisted 

rag doll bodies of Normandy

until 

The Caretakers arrived

to collect them 

like sea shells 

scooping them up 

into their low-swaying buckets

and carrying them  off

to the supple shade of

a single striped umbrella planted  like an astronaut’s flag

on the sea of tranquility of

the soon to be forgotten 

moon.

Then

The Caretakers

began their

sedulous work on

the resurrection of 

The Fallen.

Points were readjusted

Spines were realligned

And compasses

were rejiggered

so that the stars

will never wander off

by themselves 

ever again.

The work

ended

at evenfall

with a good night kiss that triggered

a thermonuclear reaction

in even the coldest of stars

which lit the way for

The Caretakers to

wade into the water

in their soon to die footprints

to perform the mystical ceremony

of offering the healed

to the holy alliance of the immeasurable 

With the chant of Om

which 

was received by their comrades

the soldiers of infinity

who once upon a time 

were amongst the fallen themselves

who had their hearts broken

as far back as the beginning 

despite the promises

and ancient wisdom of wildflowers.

Like their ancestors before them

the soldiers tracked the return flight 

from their listening posts

like mothers glued to

baby monitors

Who will never be able to

rest

Until their babies

close their eyes

and dream of forever.