The Stranger

I don't know your name,
But you came to me -
Out of all the walking galaxies
We are,
Dust and stars -
And asked me the question.
 
I saw the swirling dirt
Somewhere in your spirit,
And I knew it -
We never forget
Our sandstorms in the dark.
But I could feel you distrusting
Someone with light 
Like fireflies visible through their skin -
Just like I did, too.

Believe me, when I said to you:
'Just hold on',
It was from my own interstellar years -
Adrift and waiting.
My witness is made and made of dirt - 
I speak with the echoing birth
Of a star. 

LJ Ireton 2023