Starlong Poem by Bryan Norton

This is the story of a real star
The name of the star is Starlong
In a far, far corner of the galaxy
Starlong lives, even today

Once upon a time
Starlong was the Mother
Of an entire solar system
Consisting of many planets

At first, there was nothing
Because all the planets were cold and dark
And barren
Meaning, essentially, that Starlong was alone

As such, Starlong was very sad
And she began to crave
The companionship of the planets
Devoid of life, though they were

And Starlong sent forth her powerful flames
Bringing light and warmth to the planets
For which they were grateful
And responded, each in their own way

On one of these planets, Protina
Conditions were just right
For living things to sprout
And to spread

Over time, these forms of life
Developed into distinct types
Of plant and animal life
All of which pleased Starlong

And so it was, that throughout the eras of time
Living things grew and prospered
And filled the planet, Protina
With new and interesting forms of life

Many of them lived in the great waters
And many, also, in the lush, tropical regions
While many things that creep, crawl, and fly
Lived in the mountains, valleys, and deserts

And all of these living things, plants and animals
Brought pleasure and company to Starlong
And Starlong was grateful for them
And for their companionship

Eventually, Starlong was thrilled by the development
Of human beings on the planet Protina
Although Starlong desired, not their worship
But merely their lasting friendship

And so these circumstances continued
Even for many millennia of time
And Starlong loved all life on Protina
And all the dear planets as well

One day, however, something awful happened
Due to the great pollutions on the planet Protina
Which were caused by the hand of man
All forms of plant and animal life began to die

And as they began to die, man, too, began to die
And he began to look for solutions on other planets
Planets that could sustain life
In other solar systems

Eventually, only a few humans remained
However, they had developed the technology
To build spaceships of an immense size
To carry them beyond their own solar system

And as these people began to leave
Starlong began to weep
Because she knew that once again
She would be alone

However, as Starlong wept
Her weeping was heard by one person, Cassandra
Who possessed a special ability
To feel Starlong's moods

Cassandra, you see, was a deeply empathetic soul
With a very tender heart
And a very powerful love
For all living things

And she was moved by the weeping of Starlong
And she began to weep herself
For she could not bear, even to the slightest degree
The thought of Starlong, and her loneliness

And of those inhabitants of Protina who survived
But would soon be leaving
Cassandra, alone, decided to remain
Rather than leave Starlong alone

Now Cassandra did what she could to survive
To grow a garden
To make a home
And to save the few remaining plants and animals

Because of Cassandra's devotion, and her humanity
She was granted, by Starlong, with the ability
To live as one immortal
And to be free from all manner of pain and hurt

And this would be true until Cassandra
Looked upon the next human face
When she would finish the remainder of her life
And die as well

Eventually, the plants and animals were all rejuvenated
And they looked to Cassandra, as their daughter
And to Protina, as their mother
And to Starlong, as their friend.