A Fistful Of Stars: A Place For The Stars
"I was never taught to be taut,'' writes poet Hariharan Balakrishnan, glorying in things vast enough to fill a universe, yet small enough to clasp in a hand.
A fistful of stars I held one night
I know not if they’re there today
Fingers mine I dare not clench
Stars are tender and fragile
I hold my fingers together now
As I did as a new born babe
My fist was never rigid, tight
I was never taught to be taut
Between fingers there are gaps
If I hold my thumb inside the fist
Among the stars, does it hurt?
Will those stars escape from gaps?
There’s always a place for stars
Stars are not like water, are they?
They do not find their way, do they?
Is my fist the place for them?
I want to let them go and be
But when should I, and how?
Where do I place my lustrous stars?
I do not know, do you?
