There’s a moment

just before sunset

when I think of people I know

who might also think of me

at the end of a day

and remember something sentimental

about moments we shared together

but then I watch the dusk turn to dark

and see the stars appear above me

and think of the unknown they

are existing in trillions of miles away

from this speck in space that I call home

and I think of all the unknowns in life

 and I think of all the unknowns within me

and I wish that people who saw my sorrows

from old scars and new grief also knew my joys

from three-hour conversations with women

who know how to laugh and heal and

sit with their own power to small brunches

with books and family photos shared

and those who knew my joys also

knew how cherished they were

because of the scars I hide from

all who try to draw near

and I wish people knew

how to unknow all about me

that they got wrong when

they interpreted my life

through the lens of their own

experiences while retreating to

their own comfort zones

and I wish they could see

the stars shine on me now

even though some know my faults

better than they ever knew my strengths

and I keep a distance from most people

because of the scars from the ones

who hurt me the most without ever

saying they were sorry

and I let people catch glimpses of me

just as these stars are peeking through

their own places in the night sky

but I let no one close enough to

see what makes me uniquely me

and I let words be my best friends

as a poet does and I share my soul

with the pages before me

and forget that I was

wishing upon a star

that I might be known by some

or forgotten by others

or remembered

with love

or seen

as me

—Chris Pepple c2025