Begin before Confucius,
before China's first emperor
thread the stars in tales,
in storied constellations
casting Altair as a cowherd
uplifted to Heaven's height
a star-crossed lover stranded
from sweet Vega by a river
longing longing longing
for their yearly reunion
when magpies, moved to mercy,
form a bridge of wings—
that single night together
before another year apart—
weave a thousand variations
on their meeting and parting
celebrate it in festivals
millennium after millennium
then let mercy move you too,
let them slip their posts
let them leave hand in hand,
unwatched, unsung.