In memory of Renee Nicole Good


When the Stars Failed

Last night
I watched stars
twinkle across my bedroom ceiling -
a machine, a gift,
meant to bring calm
as sleep approaches.

But murder had entered the day.
Not fiction.
Not imagined.
Fact.

A young woman,
full of potential -
mother, partner,
poet, believer
in justice for all.

The ceiling stars
held no peace.
I could not believe in them last night.
There was no escape.

I am caught
inside a nightmare
that forgot to end,
untethered from a lifelong belief
in what it means
to be an American,
lost in a landscape
of bewilderment.

Dear God,
I want to wake again
to a day that will end
in finding peace again
in the staring at stars
on my ceiling.



Poetry by Melinda K Zarate The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 18 times
Written on 2026-01-08 at 18:12

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text


D G Moody The PoetBay support member heart!
Thank you for this Melinda. As someone who has personal ties with the USA I do receive some of the despair from decent people as they watch their great nation spiral down into dictatorship. We can only hope that the good will prevail.
2026-01-09


Griffonner The PoetBay support member heart!
So, so, so heartfelt, this poem. And we see nother poet... passes on, this one in the most horrendous way.. I found your poem to be profoundly moving.
It is hard to believe it has come to this. As a young man, I yearned to visit your country. But as I matured it seemed time and tide washed your shores with a carcinogenic dust. I know that's a generality - for so many people there go about their day to day activities as decent law abiding souls... and that makes it worse, because I just cannot understand how they can do that in the face of the nightmare only they have the power to awaken from. Easy to say, I know.
A great poem that deserves accolade.
May blessings and love cascade down upon you all.
Allen
2026-01-09