To Put Out A Star

To put out a star

One must reach up

To touch the star

And turn it

Three times

Clockwise

And then once

Counter clockwise

Once the star is out

One can pull it down

And hang it

From the nearest ceiling

Twist four times clockwise

And six times counterclockwise

And the star will light up

Whatever room it’s in

We’ve heard about stars

That were too bright

To light certain rooms

So if your room is very small

You might want to consider

Using something

Other than a star

To light it up

You could use a lightbulb, of course

But that seems so ordinary
And we know you are not the type of child

That likes ordinary things

Why not use a shooting star

Which is not nearly as bright

As a regular up-in-the-sky star?

Shooting stars are much harder to catch

But they give off a much kinder light
As a trapped star

Is known to use its anger

To remove all darkness

From where it’s being kept

Now, you might think

That no darkness at all

Sounds lovely

But a little darkness

Is like a bitterness

In your lemonade

Without it

It’s hardly lemonade

And without darkness

You may not know

It’s time for bed

As the shadows

Come into your room

To hide in all the corners

And listen to the story

You’re told each night

Before you fall to sleep

Shooting stars can be caught

By riding an elevator

Up to the three hundredth

And seventy-third floor

Of any building

While carrying a butterfly net

That is large enough

To hold a baby rhinoceros

Hold up the net

And the stars should

Practically catch themselves

Shooting directly into the net

And allowing you

To take home the perfect little light

That is also very friendly to bits of darkness

If you are afraid of heights

Or butterfly nets

You may not have an easy time

Catching a shooting star

But you could catch a starfish

Which really can’t light anything up

But is a lovely pet to have

In a little dish by your bed

You won’t be able

To see the starfish

In the dish

Without something

To light your room

But you’ll know it’s there

And that will give you comfort

And comfort will help you sleep

If all of this sounds like too much trouble

You could leave all the stars where they are

And sleep with your curtains thrown wide

So that the light of the stars

In their rightful place in the sky

Will shine down on you

While the darkness sleeps

In all its nooks and crannies

To put out a star

Is a noble adventure

To undertake

But sometimes the days are long

And there is homework

And chores

And you lack the time

To go for a space journey

Simply to get

A little extra light

Or in some cases

Far too much

On those days

It’s important to remember

That some things

Are best left

Where they are

So that you can enjoy them

From where you are

Happy with everything

Being exactly

Where it’s supposed

To be