The stars
By Melanie Mununggurr
Published 23 August 2023
Appeared out of nowhere
They came from every direction
Erupted through surfaces
And dove from blackened skies
They sprouted from bushes
And house plants and drains
Shot through cracks in the walls
And out of woven sheets
The stars, they blossomed
They penetrated every inch of my body
Took over my eyesight
Even when my eyes were shut tight
The stars fell like waterfalls
Darted to the abyss like fireworks
on New Year’s Eve
The stars appeared
Like blankets of lifetimes
Before my own existence
Beyond my own existence
I existed only
in this moment
A moment of time
Where my body was no longer
Flesh nor bone, nor blood
Not breath
Just pure ecstasy, and stars