This is a small essay explaining the poem I wrote–”Asterisks, not Stars.” The poem and the essay can be purchased for 30ȼ here.

The idea behind “Asterisks, not Stars” came to me after a friend of mine died in January, 2008. He was not an obviously successful man—he worked at the mall and was a “mall rat” who deejayed for parties. But what a person could never know just from these small glories is that Derek “Digi” Allan Pence touched so many lives in small-town Martinsburg, WV. I think for the short time he lived in Martinsburg, Digi was the most-loved man around. Even if you had only met him once, you felt like he was a best friend. He was always so humorous and full of life, he could make your day if you only saw him for a few fleeting moments at the mall. He may not have been incredibly stimulating to the economy, and he may not have drastically changed anything deliberately, but Derek did change a little bit of all of us, before and after he passed away. And that, to me, is immeasurable success.

What I was trying to articulate in the poem is the idea that although people may not necessarily be impressive on the outside, in regard to the way they look or the way they interact socially (or in the way they don’t), they can still do and be remembered for doing great things—whether they be big, historical things, or small, personal things. Someone who may be the most obvious, outwardly favorable person (a star) isn’t necessarily going to do what one would consider great things, and may only be remembered as superficially as they were experienced (the “hollow beauty” idea expressed in the poem). A person can be socially adept, physically beautiful, and have a wonderful personality, but if they never use these things to the benefit of the people around them, can they really be worth remembering so fondly?

I also tried to communicate how those who do special things go on to be remembered for what they did for another person, no matter how big or small a favor. An asterisk denotes that there is a footnote about whatever word or term comes before it in a paper or a book; it has a purpose, and whatever comes after that asterisk in the footnote is something so important it couldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) be left out of the piece. It’s better to be a footnote in the book of someone’s life than to be something (or someone) simply mentioned in passing, that they don’t think twice about. I also wanted to point out how more striking it is to be a good person, even if you let it go unnoticed, because of how seldom true altruism takes place. Anyone can shine given the right lighting (or lack thereof), but not everyone has that inner glow that makes them stand out—if not only slightly—in the end.

I guess, to me, it’s comforting to feel that people don’t have to think or know that you’re doing good by them, but to know that someday they’ll look back on what you may have done for them and be thankful that they had you in their life. I hope someday I will be one of those who people remember that way.