The asterisk believes
it is the star that animates
the punctuation constellation.
What a mindless conception,
the exception to the infinite
rule that infinity
rules. If the mark moved
minds we might mistake
it for a common comet*
or a tiny supernova**
with flaming hair
just before explosion,
or a nascent black hole.***
But itís just a bloody
everyday mark, elevated
above the standard line,
a stupid shaggy smudge
thatís meant to show
our singular smarts****
but signifies our ignorance
or reticence or f****** prudery
and sometimes shields
us from the bland bald truth:
itís a cowardís way out,
merely a hairy eclipse.*****
* most have highly elliptical orbits
** which create nebulae, equally hirsute
*** with noteworthy gravity
**** (multiple footnotes)
***** like the coronal filaments encircling the occluded sun