The story behind maps
is that they were meant to guide,
but often only show us
where we cannot go—
lines drawn by hands
we will never touch.
The story behind clocks
is that they don’t count time—
they measure loss.
Every tick a moment leaving,
every chime a memory too late to hold.
The story behind stars
is that they are already gone,
their light traveling across years
just to remind us they were there.
The story behind us
is that we built something
without knowing how to keep it,
held it in hands
that didn’t know how to stay still.
The story behind fire
is that it consumes.
It warms, it brightens,
but in the end, it leaves ash.
And still, we light the match.