the stars follow me home

I’m accompanied by two

shadows overlapped, connected

Hobbling down the main road, dragging my left

foot which aches from walking home all day –

Walk, walk, walk. Stop, say hello and keep on walking.

The shrubs up ahead –

silhouetted strangers waiting patiently for

the bus that comes hourly after 7PM –

but then they’re shrubs again

Comforted by a musicless night,

the breadth of a dog passes me by in short puffs –

It looks like the muted clouds above me.

Silent, with an occasional interruption by the sound of

wheels on pavement –

I’m hit by deja vu – I’ve walked

at this exact time, noticed the stars

and named the constellations we know

But that was a year ago, and

this time I walk alone – dragging my left foot.

Naming the constellations under my breath.