I am small enough to sit on the floor
of the back seat behind
my father driving us safely
through the darkest night
my mother navigating next to him
my brother and sister asleep nearby
I search for the spiral of the milky way
that I have heard about but instead
I see God in the stars and it is here
that I learn to pray—not in a church building
the vastness out of my window
is beyond my understanding
and I fall in love with the creator
every time I look up
Decades later I will search for the milky way
with someone who will change me
there will be a song that makes me flinch
that leads me there despite my destination
it will disrupt my beliefs
and cause me to stumble and descend
to never be guileless
to never have the faith of a child again
Such an uplifting beginning, such a crash at the end. You won our hearts both ways.