Spatter-Painted Sky

The sky stretched out like a Jackson Pollack canvasSpatter-painted with sparkling starsDarkness came down to meet usDizzying space, so vast, so farPulsing with heat, we sunk our sheets in the riverLetting them swell out with the tideWe twisted our wrists to ring out the waterAnd balled them back up at our sidesWe laid on our cots, wrapped in damp cottonYou reached your hand across to hold mineThe moon was a darkened figureSatellites spiraling linesAnd then, I was swept up by the sound of the riverUp into that diamond encrusted skyMy body weightlessly floating towards HeavenAs I contemplated my own death, the tiny Earth, our fragile lives{This summer, I slept at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for an overnight river rafting trip. I've never seen so many stars in my life.}