stargazing is like a drug to me;

ever since i peered through my neighbor’s

telescope as a young boy, i was hooked.

the way the brilliant stars of the pleiades

suddenly came into crystal clear focus

did something permanent to my brain,

and i keep looking for that same high,

but it’s never as good as the first time.

when i’m out there, lost in the stars,

nothing else matters but the bliss.

when it’s cloudy for too many nights,

i go into severe withdrawal–

stargazing is a hell of a drug.

–photo by me