The Misconception about Light

by Crystal Valerie Rea

It’s not easy being a star.
The one
everyone wants to be shiny,
to light the way,
sit-up on high,
up here, alone.
The judgment, if you falter,
slant a little crooked…
A little more to the left –
ahem, cough, cough.
The one
set aside
for being the smiley one.
No room for your story ever to be sad.
The need to be pristine.
Judged when a crack
or the slightest imperfection
may arise.
“No,
you don’t say anything.
What could you possibly have to say?
Your job is to be our light.”
It’s not easy being a selected star.
Sometimes when the bulb runs dim,
you get recast as trash.