Questions at Night

Louis Untermeyer

Why

Is the sky?

What starts the thunder overhead?

Who makes the crashing noise?

Are the angels falling out of bed?

Are they breaking all their toys?

Why does the sun go down so soon?

Why do the night-clouds crawl

Hungrily up to the new-laid moon

And swallow it,shell and all?

If there's Bear among the stars

As all the people say,

Won't he jump over those Pasture-bars

And drink up the Milky Way?

Does every star that happens to fall

Turn into a fire-fly?

Can't it ever get back to Heaven at all?

And why

Is the sky?