What does it matter if we flash and fade
If in one moment—however brief—we outshine
The sun and all the stars, if for a few seconds
We reduce the sun into nothing but a chunk of ice
And turn the stars into blind men’s light?
The imminence of ending serves to fuel fire;
A slow, weak burn only teases the spirit
But a flaming burst and its blinding flare is a wonder,
Is mythic, is remembered for that perfect moment
When it illuminates all corners of the universe
And mocks the darkness
Of what we are content to call light.
True, the heavens will outlive us both,
But in that moment, we are the heavens.
*Joshua Carlo Pile is the Ophelia Dimalanta awardee in the poetry category of 28th Gawad Ustetika
