In the Next Life, Canto II, stanzas 39-42

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I wish I could have walked within that groove.
I wish I could have seen what others saw:
five hundred carriers all on the move.
One’s movements leave her worshipers in awe.

Oh, there they are! Now I see the parade.
They say it’s all the Stars but not one Pound.
Though One directs them, I am yet afraid.
We don’t know if and when they’ll turn around.

As always, I don’t understand One’s will.
Why are the Stars departing while we stay?
In One’s possession, they go up the hill,
while, still aware, we watch them walk away.

We wondered why some numbers got that star
while others still got pounds; that made no sense.
I still don’t know, but what I’ve seen so far
connects the markings with today’s events.

©2010 Louis A. Merrimac

One’s movements: I think it’s safe to say that “One” in this context means the insiders, although it’s still a deity as far as the carriers are concerned. This would be the rare case, after setting behavioral examples in the early days of the Mission, that the insiders would take control for reasons other than procreation.
Pound: Do the carriers have such a concept as pound signs? Well, I suppose they call it something. For conveying the impression to readers, “pound” works better than “crosshatch” or “tic-tac-toe grid”. It is now almost universally recognized among English speakers as the name of the number symbol, but "number" would not sufficiently differentiate it from other symbols used in front of the numerals.