Star Shower
by Joanie HF Zosike
Little sun-bronzed god…a bit shy
Boy and I hop into my 8-cylinder
Galaxy with automatic steering and
power brakes. Analogy not lost on me
Keep on those brakes, this is too pungent
Salty smell of sea on him, sunshine
euphoria, up into the mountains we go
to appreciate scent of earth, bird song,
fine fauna, sleeping bags on crackling
autumn carpet. Wine flushes our faces
He’s seven years younger than I, but
in this timeless firelight, who cares?
Fire roaring, we toast marshmallows
and good times. Then it’s time to sleep
It’s dark, what else is there to do? Kiss
We do, and it’s agonizing how much
I want him, but he says, “Let’s sleep.”
I can’t believe he says, “Let’s sleep.”
How can I sleep, feeling like an idiot
Hours pass, lump in my choking throat
Hours pass, then he rolls toward me
We blend in a shower of shooting stars
PHOTO: Perseid Meteor Shower by Belish.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brooklyn-born Joanie HF Zosike is a graduate of NYU Gallatin School of Individual Study (formerly University Without Walls). An Edward Albee fellowship recipient for her play Inside, produced at American Theatre of Actors (NYC), she was also honored by the Foundation for Jewish Culture for her play, …and Then the Heavens Closed (at The Jewish Museum in NYC). The Writers Hotel recognized her in 2019 with the Sara Patton poetry stipend. Her work frequently appears in Maintenant—A Contemporary Journal of Dada Writing and Art (Three Rooms Press) and in Silver Birch Press blog posts, and she is featured in Light on the Walls of Life: a tribute anthology to LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI (Jambu Press), Women in American Theatre (TCG), Letters Between Mothers and Daughters (Houghton-Mifflin), and Ides—a Collection of Poetry Chapbooks (Silver Birch Press). Other publications include Alien Buddha, Home Planet News, Humans of the World, Jewish Forward, Levure Literraire, PIM, and Syndic. She was featured poet in August 2019 The New Guard’s BANG!
PHOTO: The author in Franklin Canyon (off Coldwater Canyon) in Los Angles County, California (c. 2000).
Silver Birch Press 
Your poem is absolutely beautifully written. I think I know what boy you wrote about, but we will talk about it privately love. Made me think so much about my past as well.