Shooting Out the Stars

“…not knowing how deep the woods are and lightless…”
      –from “Jacklight” by Louise Erdrich (1984)

My dear, I’d be willing to walk
deep into the woods for you some night
and know they say it’s darkest before the dawn,
but when you start your story in the New Moon
and then proceed to shoot out the stars
one after another,
I get nervous.

I wonder what I did with my old lighter,
knowing that, even if I do find it,
I’ll just fumble with it in the dark.