Stars

After so much sun during the day
           suddenly the air has crisped
with a sharp frost and up above
           the jet black sky is crystal clear :
incredible that there should be
           such limitless darkness
filled with so many burning stars
           the piercing light filtering through
without diluting the deep dark
           —and it seemed to me
that had I had
           the time and the inclination
on this beautiful spring evening
           it might just have been possible
to number every single star
           in the universe

John Lyons