Naming Dead Things

my aunt
was four years older
than me,
and in many ways
was like an older sister.

when I was nine
I remember us
lying in the grass,
beneath the night sky,
and staring at stars.
she liked to give names
to the stars.

"that one's Edith,
and that one's Anna,
and that one's Elijah,"
she would go
on and on.

"how do you know
which star is which?"
I would ask.

"I only name the dead ones."

"some stars are dead?"

"many are, but they are
so far away we still see
their light even after they're
gone."

"Why only name the dead stars?"

"I like naming
dead things.
it makes me feel strong,
like I'm giving life."

years later
my aunt gave birth
to a still born son.

she named him Sam,
and on his grave stone
she had inscribed the words

"may you shine like the stars."