The Collapse of Stars

ONE

The winters in the interior were harsh.

Ice formed in the glens

and stayed around the calendar.

Bitterness ate into our bones

as we foraged to stay alive.

Bitterness, snow blind. 

And then we took a decision 

to leave, to head for the sunset.

The stars would be our guide. Stars.

And with this we offered up

prayers to the gods of the earth and sky.

We took up our tools

and walked. 

TWO

Arriving on the coast in the

fifth daylight.

We found a rock shelter around which 

to camp.

Shells, shells. Someone had used this shelter

to eat and stay alive. 

The stars led us here.

We gathered firewood,

sent men down to the shore 

to see what could be found.

They returned with armfuls 

of mussels, limpets and razor clams.

Li

Limp

Limpe

Limpets.

Our bellies were full.

THREE

We made tools from quartz 

and fashioned jewellery from shells.

Offerings to the gods.

Plentiful seafood was supplemented 

by sea fowl, casting the bones on the shell

midden.

One night we saw a falling star

streak a trail across the sky.

We feared the falling of heaven,

but it’s only stars that turn to dust.

FOUR

Cr

Cra 

Craw

Crack

Crab.

Sweet shore crab. 

FIVE

And we stayed in that place

for ten full seasons.

Till the happening. 

Sandy Wilkie

May 2023