WEBVTT

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This is a poem that I
wrote while I was home.

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We were talking in some of
the classes about the fact

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that you don't have to have a
huge momentous thing occurring

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in your life to write the poem.

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And this was just a
very simple thing.

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I wanted to go out in the middle
of the night and mail a letter.

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And the house was asleep.

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My parents were
asleep in the house.

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And it was out in the country.

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The town was about a mile away
so it was very, very quiet.

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And on the way back to the
house, I started to feel like,

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why are you in such a hurry
to get back to this house?

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It's a nice night.

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Everyone's asleep.

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I mean, you could stay
out here for a long while.

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But here you are you're in a
hurry to get back to the house.

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And I just looked up.

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And the stars were up there.

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And I started to turn
like when you're a kid,

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and you make the stars go
around by turning yourself.

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And it was a
wonderful sensation,

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and I was suddenly
back in my childhood.

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And I went in and I wanted
to write a poem about that.

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But I somehow just couldn't
bring that part quite into it

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although some vestige of it
still remains in the poem.

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This is called Under Stars.

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The sleep of this night deepens
because I have walked countless

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from the house carrying
the white envelope.

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All night, it will say one
name in its little tin house

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by the roadside.

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I have raised the metal flag.

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So its shadow
under the road lamp

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leaves an imprint on
the rain heavy bushes.

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Now, I will walk back
thinking of the few lights

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still on in the
town a mile away.

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In the yellowed
light of a kitchen,

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the mill worker has
finished his coffee.

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His wife has laid out the white
slices of bread on the counter.

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Now, while the bed they
have left is still warm,

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I will think of you.

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You who are so far away.

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You have caused me to
look up at the stars.

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Tonight, they have not
moved from childhood.

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Those games played after dark.

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Again, I walk into the wet
grass toward the starry voices.

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Again, I am the
found one intimate

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returned by all I touch
on the way to you.

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