I could not see the stars, never could I see the stars, not from the tent I resided in, not from my cage. from this I died. I am a circus elephant, a creature of great size and strength. children who watch me perform say that I am amazing, a real treat, a star. but I would not know. I do not know what a star is. I have long since forgotten from my years in this catacomb, this spectacle known only for it’s entertainment and not for it’s shame. I know stars come out at night, but when night Is, I have not a clue, there is always a cold steel roof over my head, if not then the tent’s stripes of red and yellow. the aroma of night has also seem to become estranged from me. the fresh, cool scent of a town’s silent, peaceful sleep has not slipped through my trunk since being placed in this small metal room on wheels. I only smell rotted food I didn't eat and feces I have no power to remove or walk away from. the night I died I was being sold from one circus to another. One for small children. I was getting too old to perform the big tricks necessary for entertaining an older audience. my mother who remains in the wild and whom I  almost cannot remember either, was 30 years old and still alive and well when I was taken from her. I am only 13. but they say I am old. As I was lead from the tent to the train that was to take me to my new home i realized this the first time i was allowed out in years. and as luck would have it, it was night! I looked up at the sky and saw diamonds, except they weren't diamonds, they were stars, golden and beautiful.  I wanted to float up to them. I wanted to shed my calloused, rough skin and soar. when I was placed into the train, I only thought of how I would do anything to be able slip through the cracks and into the wind, to not have to spend another set of years not seeing the stars again. and so I made a decision and I knew that when I slept that night I would not wake up, and I didn't.