Touching the Sky

Lights dance in and out of view
As the stars do a waltz with the moon
Till a curtain of clouds falls over the show
You try to join them
On heaven's grand stage
For the endless expanse of the universe calls you
With its foretaste of eternity
And you cannot resist the thrill you feel
When you dream of flying freely
Through the stars
Or dancing with the moon
The sky looks so close now
But when you reach out
Your hand brushes
The empty night air
Touching the sky seems so much harder than before
But you are not dissuaded
Upward you climb
To join the flickering hosts
Coming closer
And closer still
Till you feel sure
They must be within your grasp
Again you stretch out a hand
Only to strike it against the smoothest surface of glass
Confused you try once more
But you are met by the same containing wall
Confusion turns to dismay
You have traveled so far
And for so long
The stars seem to be dancing at your fingertips
But you cannot join them
Has it all been in vain?
Touching the sky seems so much harder than before
Is it even there?
Or are your flickering stars and dancing moon
Only hazy reflections off of a dirty mirror?
You look far below you at the twinkling lights
Gleaming brightly 
From the warm security of snug houses
And wonder why you ever left
To chase the sky
Disillusioned and disappointed
You are so far from home
Is it too late to turn back?
Yes, you have come too far to let go now
But touching the sky seems so much harder than before
With a sudden burst of strength
You summon every bit of courage you possess
And with both hands
Reach upward
Toward the sky you wish existed
Grasping for the stars
You always knew were meant for you
Pain sears your mind 
As your fists crunch 
Against the barrier above you
But nothing will stop you now
And even as the warm drops of blood
Splatter your face
The sharp crack of breaking glass
Fills your ears
And suddenly it falls away
In a glistening shower
Of shattered pieces 
Each one holding a brightly gleaming reflection
Like the broken pieces
Of your dearest dreams
And as you watch them plummet to the earth
Every shard that you worked so long to reach
Your heart is crushed by the weight of your sorrow
And you want nothing more than to fling yourself downwards
To join the ruin of your broken dreams
But just before you let yourself fall
You look up once more
And in that instant you are left breathless
For instead of the usual glimmer
Of light glistening on glass
Or the blackness that you expected
In the wake of your hopeless despair
Instead you see the moon 
More majestic than you could possibly describe
And with the moon
Dancing so gracefully 
That the most elegant ballerinas could not begin to compare
Are an entire host of stars
More beautiful than you could ever imagine
And you realize that all this time
You have been reaching for a shadow
Longing for the most distorted of reflections
And perhaps touching the sky 
Does seem so much harder than it ever did before
But now it is so many more times worth reaching
Perhaps our dreams need shattered 
So we can see the brilliance of what we can really achieve
And perhaps even our most vivid realities
Are no more than a dim reflection
Of the shining glory of eternity


"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."
                                                                        -1 Corinthians 13:12