On this starry night, where the celestial bodies no longer reflect my sins, revealing instead a simple smile, one more sincere than anything I ever tried to mask with pretense. I find myself gazing into the abyss of darkness that borders the earthly veil. A single light refuses to fade: a solitary star in a minefield that has already detonated. How foolish, I think; why doesn’t it follow the others and simply go out? One more ruin in an already ruined place would make no difference. In response, the star offers me a silence more profound than any dictionary. I realize how alike we are in our persistence, continuing to try even when all seems in vain, simply because it is something most have long since abandoned. I do not choose to shine of my own accord, but I am the one who decided not to fade away like the rest. —Mv