like fireflies they float
glowing orbs circling above
sticky sparks craving
a place to land
or content to wait
for the chosen moment
of conception

teenagers in the back seat
of their parents’ cars
married couples not expecting
anything new
a man positioning
himself just behind
a woman

many may be in shock
ripped out
from their old bodies
desperate to submerge
themselves again
chased by dragons
monsters on patrol
in the darkness
between worlds
a few departed in peace
in peace now they search
for new homes or drift
forever away

all of them are stars
of Bethlehem
watched by the wise
traveling night after night
drawn down
only by the heat
of bodies entangled
flesh alive
enough to tingle
and spasm
flesh warm
and wet
calling to lights
beyond the sky

---

Jacob Friesenhahn teaches theology and philosophy at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. His poems have appeared in 34thParallel Magazine, Apocalypse Confidential, The Basilisk Tree, BOMBFIRE, Burrow, Calla Press, Canary, The Lake Front, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, Litbreak Magazine, Nostalgia Press, Papers Publishing, Rundelania, and Voices de la Luna.