When he was a child

No older than five

He thought those streaks in the sky

Were shooting stars

Carrying his wishes out into space

When he was a boy

No older than eleven

He thought the streaks in the sky

Were rocket ships

Shooting out of the atmosphere

In search of answers and adventure

When he was a young man

No older than eighteen

He knew the streaks in the sky

Were just airplanes

Carrying people from one point on the earth to another

When he was a man

Older and wiser

He told his daughter

No older than five

That the streaks in the sky

Were shooting stars

And delighted in the wonder he saw on her face