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
chrispepple 