The Stars Are Out Tonight

There is no moon, no clouds, no haze
--Just stars, beautiful stars,
Shining glooriously, undefied, declaring
That the stars are out tonight.

How can I not look? How can I not see
Their friendly, glowing brilliance?
How can I hide myself in a man-made house
When the stars are out tonight?

They are old friends, compassionate,
Faithful. They beckon me. Their light
Surrounds me, singing sweetly of serene songs,
For the stars are out tonight.

When the night's visual music calls,
Not forceful, undemanding, but irresistible nonetheless,
What can I do? What do you expect
When the stars are out tonight?

They are guides and guardians.
They give mute testimony of God's glory
In their constancy and brilliance. And
These, the stars, are out tonight!

They hold the secrets of life
In their silent shine.
They caress the soul, caress my soul --
For the stars are out tonight.

Were they put there for Man?
--Or Man for them? Whichever 'tis,
'Tis one for the other -- and who am I to dispute
When the stars are out tonight?

And the planets -- the gods of the sky --
Play so joyfully among the distant suns.
Their colors are brilliant, for they
And the stars are out tonight.

My faithful, constant, non-judgmental friends:
They listen but won't tell your secrets.
Such surety of integrity is only found
When the stars are out tonight.

The stars are out tonight!
What more can be said? What more can be done?
Such power lives in these simple words:
The stars are out tonight!

Yes -- the stars are out tonight!
How could I sleep? How could I close my eyes
Against the powerful night, knowing -- knowing
That the stars are out tonight?!