Cassiopeia

by a.e. lunarii

Cassiopeia is the name of a constellation
a collection of stars, each making the universe a little brighter
a fitting name for a beast whose eyes sparkle with the light of a distant galaxy
diamond pinpricks of light that illuminate not the night sky,
but rather, the darkness within our heart

Cassiopeia’s scales are like the summer sky
a soft blue, warm to the touch,
etched with the memories of days spent under the sun
the same sun Cassiopeia yearns for, from her dark cocoon of memory
wrapped in the inky blackness of the mind,
illuminated by only the occasional thought focused inward

Cassiopeia does not speak in the tongues of man,
but rather, in thoughts and ideas polished by time,
worn smooth like stones on the bed of the ever-flowing river that is life
she is slow, purposeful, methodical in her communication,
letting each thought take shape before it emerges
but if you speak for her, she will always respond

Cassiopeia and i, we are not so different
looking in the mirror, we both see myself
one and the same
but inverted within the glass
i wake, she rests
i shadow, she illuminates
i act, she thinks
in this way, we are separate
standing at arm’s length, i have to reach out to touch Cassiopeia
but when i do, absentmindedly stroking her snout as she rests in my lap
it is my own skin, calloused and scarred,
that i feel beneath my fingertips

Cassiopeia once told me that the idea of oneself
is a force more concrete than the mere flesh of the body,
shining brighter than the stars from which we came
i think about the idea of Cassiopeia whenever i think about the idea of myself
contrasting, comparing, observing what represents me,
and what represents her
but it’s all hopelessly entangled,
like two spiders trying to weave the same web
i am always covered in marks from Cassiopeia’s teeth and claws
and her neck bears the collar to which i hold the leash
but neither of us mind
because under the light of the stars in the night sky,
Cassiopeia and i, we are not so different after all