What stars are these that slipped away?
Stars that gleamed and were unnoticed.
We have seen the shine gone
from a subdued Virgina sky
and lost those lives that had just begun
to ascend into a new brilliance.
These stars cannot be created again.
They were unlike any other stars.
What stars were these that were erased
with such violent winds of gunfire?
How will they be remembered?
With every breath of a smile,
their unique kind of walk, a favorite song.
They will always be held in our hearts,
in the sweep of a universe
unexplained and waiting for the best.
What stars were these
that left us in the company of tears?
Yet spoke of hope beyond,
of another place to shine.
Our tears were the stepping stones
for greatness, a night of constellations
that will forever be redeemed and revealed.
And so, we shall again bask in their glow.
Dedicated to those "lost stars" at Virginia Tech.
May they always be remembered.
