"On a clear night you can see forever"
but not through the night-blinding lights
shining out, masking eyes;
and monolithic, obscuring buildings,
standing tall, hiding the world.
And not on Slayter Hill,
lying on the hard damp ground;
the immaculate white glare
of the co-rec lights
blinding me.
Late at night, though,
when my mind won't rest
and the glow is absent, the co-rec
disappearing into darkness;
I look down the hill
and across West Lafayette,
seeing the dark strip
where it ends with the Wabash.
City lights
continue on the other side
little points receding into the distance;
blurring upward into the stars.
My gaze deepens inward.
I think of far off friends;
Friends in Colorado,
hiking into the mountains at night;
looking up,
and seeing these same stars -
we all see Orion wearing the same belt,
It draws a link across any distance.
Maybe this is what it means
to see forever.
Lawrence R. Daffner 2/94