we pulled the stars from the sky

 The force of the moving vehicle tugs at her. She slides left and right, in tune with the kinetic friction of the iron skeleton on concrete earth. Dark grey Grains fall of the road. The wheels roll on. 

Unreceptive she looks out the window into a black sky. The stars she befriended as a kid have left. She tilts her head to look for the light in the sky, but her eyelashes are quicker. Her pupils are gone for the second. When she regains sight, her eyes are drawn to a flickering on the ground. She lowers her gaze to meet the flicker. Her head tilts back. Streetlight’s flicker. Once, the flickering was fire. Fire surrounded by a tribe. Then, a tribe surrounded by fire. The wheels roll on. Streetlights flicker.

So many lights along the road. There must be thousands of manufactured lightbulbs on this street only; lined up to her right and left. As if they were showing her the way to a better place. Taking over the stars. The stars can go. Do not go, stars. The stars gave her a reason to look up and raise her head above the walls of man. The stars made her think and dream and they guided her, too.

Dare she look for the world, when man incubated for himself a world already? A human that taught his offspring that there is his world only; so look no further. Be guided by our streetlights and look not to the heavens.

If you look up, there is but an empty sky and a lonely moon. The machine stops. Because we pulled the stars from the sky. Her hand is clutching the brakes.