So What Does This Evening Mean?

Night skies aren’t all that oculate.
The stars don’t look that much like eyes.
Still, you see them up there. You see
Eyes, spies, and faces everywhere,

A parallel capacity,
Parallel compulsion, really,
To your thing for bringing meaning
Then announcing that you found it

Wherever you’ve made or left it.
Maybe meaning is like seeing
Faces in faintly face-like things.
Pareidolia has a name,

And you find meaning in that name,
Not merely information, but
There is no name for the divide
That slides between information

And finding meaning in a thing.
Pareidolia is social,
Makes sense for a watching species
Packed with copycats and police.

Whatever could be eyes might be
Watching you. Whatever you do
While being watched could determine
The quality of life for you.

Is meaning something similar?
Meaning’s not over-sensitive
Detection. Eyes exist without
Any animal spotting them,

But each meaning’s pure creation.
When you find the stars meaningful,
You’re not mistaking what they are.
You’re taking advantage of them

The way spiders take advantage
Of architecture to anchor
Their webbing. Webs aren’t inherent
To bookshelves. Spiders create them.