Recently I saw screenshot on Twitter of a YouTube comment. The video was a recording of katydid sounds (naturally), and the comment said “My 5-year-old thought this was the sound stars make”. I was so charmed by this misconception; I love when kids misunderstand things in ways that somehow make unique sense. Crickets and stars are so far apart in natural terms — huge balls of fire lightyears away, and little bugs hidden in the grass — and yet they coexist and cooperate to create our common experience of nighttime. So I used the comment as a writing prompt! This is a poem about the interconnectedness of nature, and the constant struggle to discover that same connection in yourself. Thanks for reading!
The Sound Stars Make
Have you heard the sound stars make?
I haven’t, but I know what they sound like.
If crickets can sing by rubbing papery wings together
How different can an ancient ball of fire be?
Lying in bed, summer-tired, with an open window
I like to imagine I’m in the prairie grass instead
Surrounded by chirping, chattering stars
Praising the lives they watch over.
In the winter, it goes quiet
My window shut tight, cold padding the walls of the world
Without the crickets to give them voice,
I must venture out to see the stars.
In the silent dark, time stands still
I no longer count my breaths
And I hear centuries of singing.
How different can an ancient ball of fire be? <3