I wanted to look night in the eye,
stare down the constellations
until the coolness brought sleep
and laid me heavy in defeat,
outdone by the sheer volume
of what stretched above.

For those hours I felt
somehow rebellious,
distanced from my mother
by more than sliding glass.

Eventually she would come out
and slowly lead me back in,
her arms folded protectively
over her heart
as if braving a blizzard,
or perhaps simply
maintaining the wall,
her hands pulling me to her
though even then I was
too much for her to hold

Lori Boulard

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/0003-sleeping-under-stars-2/