why Star Wars is more than a movie

“it’s just a movie”
says someone
of Star Wars
who just don’t know

the thing is:
no.
it’ s not just a movie

besides being, perhaps,
*the* movie, in
the blockbuster,
spinoff-spawning,
critic-and-fan favorite,
industry uber-underwriting,
entertainment behemoth sense,
it’s also a
cross-generational
shared story
about redemption
and sacrifice and
the cosmic struggle
between light and dark
and the importance
of seeking
one’s own place
in such stuffs

(that old chestnut)

my daughter is Rey
today
just as much as
my son is Finn,
as much as
i was Luke
in the early eighties,
as much as
some youngster
(i suppose)
was Anakin in the aughts

all of us,
together,
taking in the
same tale,
considering anew
for ourselves
which way
we sway
(light or dark?)

all of us,
together,
soaking in the
mythic symbols
in cinematic splay,
wondering what
the meaning might be
for this galaxy,
of these dreams
in one far, far away

all of us,
together,
laughing at Artoo,
cooing at the Ewoks,
marveling at
mysteries revealed,
tearing up at despair,
swelling up at triumph,
and wishing to God
that we could
have a lightsaber
of any color,
even for a second

just a movie?
not even close.

in this galaxy,
perhaps in the universe,
dear stories like this
seldom appear,
and when they do
it behooves us
to more than
just approve,
but to assent

to take part,
thankfully,
thoughtfully,
as passionately
as possible,
knowing that
such stories –
cross generational,
shared,
redemptive –
are but echoes . .
reverberations
through spacetime
of that
even older saga
(you know the one)
(that old chestnut)

just a movie?
no.

Star Wars is, perhaps,
*the* movie,
and is certainly
a version of
*the* story

Star Wars is,
even if unknowingly,
a gospel homage
fearfully and
wonderfully made

like many things,
regardless of
the galaxy,
Star Wars is
an opportunity
to see God