The Stars of Hope

Looking up at the stars was a sacred moment for me back in the bright younger days. I remember asking Dad on one clement evening, why are there many torchlight in the sky? Dad smiled, curled my head, touched my cheeks and said, Son, they are not torchlight but stars, the sky is full of stars, he added. My father’s house is situated at the outskirts of my village. The compound is filled with variety of economic trees, an indication that my dad was a good farmer. The trees denied me the wide gaze I needed, to contentedly view the stars and scrupulously observe the heavenly bodies, which unfortunately, my little mind cannot crack. I had to sneak outside, take a seat on the grey cemented floor that leads to our house in order to have a better study of the stars. I would steadily look up at the stars bending my neck so roughly that my tiny neck suffers the pains and my eyes almost blind with stars. Looking up at the stars became an important but a reflective part of my less chores evenings. Each successive night leaves me with more questions which my poor mother is almost obliged to answer.   

In the blissful cool air of the darkest night, relaxed on the pavement in front of my gate, I would enjoy the vision of the myriads of stars in the sky. Oh! Stars!! What a beauty to behold, a light so brilliant, so powerful and so enmeshing. A creation so encapsulating, a body so luminous, that it lightens up my night. My little mind would wallow in an endless unfathomable fascination and childlike wonderment about the stars. I would wonder why the stars are suspended in the heavens and cannot come down to us. I would pedantically count the stars and when I could not finish the counting, I would promise myself to continue the very next day carefully delineating where I stopped. This never-ending count continued, until I discovered that the previously counted stars have changed position or were missing. There is an adorable thing about the stars, they seem to be aware that I was observing them such that they glow-in-the-dark with abundant radiance that I dream often about them.

I was particularly intrigued by the famous Nursery Rhymes “The Star” by Jane Taylor a 19^th century English poet.  Our enthusiastic teacher, Mrs. Okafor will make sure that we sing the lullaby off hand. In order to make her happy or rather to get her approval, we would shout on top of our voices rather than sing the lullaby thus,

TWINKLE, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the sky so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

The phenomenon of the stars led me to becoming a friend of our thoroughgoing school librarian Mrs. Okonkwo, a friendship that I treasure up till today. I approached her after one morning Assembly. Good morning, I muttered, afraid of her long dry cane which warms the buttocks of pupils who are not properly dressed or very dirty. I noticed a sort of inquisitive look in her eyes as she glanced at me precisely from head to toe, perhaps to know whether am properly dressed or still wondering why I came to the library that sunny morning.

Good morning Joseph, what can I do for you? She replied. Very uncertain of the outcome of this unsolicited meeting, I mustered courage and told her that I was looking for books that have pictures of the stars. Surprised at my request, what do you want to know about the stars? She inquired. Confused at what to answer, I simply told her that, I only wanted to have a better view of the stars since I cannot see them clearly at night. She laughed mildly, held my hands and led me to the library shelves. She pulled a large book from one of the shelves and placed them on my tiny palm. I learnt later that the book is Children’s Encyclopedia. This was how I started visiting the library and gradually, I became acquainted with voluminous books. I would only flip the pages and look at the pictures. On one occasion, as I was flipping through the pages of one of the books on the stars, I was struck by a picture of some kids looking up at the stars. I was saddled. I was not alone in this amazement, I said to myself. So children can study the stars?

As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, and of course months into years, my horizon about stars and the heavenly bodies kept widening. I shockingly discovered that the nearest star to the Earth is the Sun. Our own Sun is one of the billions of stars in the Milky Way. Some of these stars out there are only visible to the naked eye from earth during the night. The knowledge that man can go into space and as a matter of fact, that a human being had landed on the moon fueled the desire to become an astronomer or at least, a pilot. Inside my little mind, I would imagine how beautiful it would be to fly on the sky of stars and touch the heavenly bodies and perhaps tell them how much I admired and adored them.

Have you noticed that some stars are either disappearing on the sky or are no longer visible at night? Way into my Secondary school days, I noticed that standing at the middle of our house at night, I could no longer view all the pretty stars that graced my vision when I was younger. My Geography teacher once explained that, climate change is a reality that the 21^st century people must grapple with, less, we lose the beauty and harmony of nature. Oh! This climate change has affected my stars, my hope, and my vision. It is my firm belief that, if we reduce excessive combustion and reckless industrial action, we can maintain and sustain our common home, blessed with a kaleidoscope of bright stars.

Growing up, I have come to associate the immaculate brightness of the stars with hope. When I do not do well at school or broke a plate or in any trouble whatsoever, I would usually look up at the sky at night in order to explain the details of the problem to the stars. Hoping to get answers, consolation and perhaps, a brighter solution from the stars. This act confirms the immortal words of Charles Simic “the stars know everything, so we try to read their minds. As distant as they are, we choose to whisper in their presence”. This fulfilling act of voicing out my problems, grievances and dreams to the stars, restores my confidence and resilience and also, helps me to move forward. It became a healing mechanism of my life and helps me to handle stress and fatigue.

In the brightness of the stars I see the future, I look at the world with hope. In the brightness of the stars I face the inevitability of the challenges and setbacks of life. Stars are first noticed when they begin to shine and I have never wavered in ensuring that my star keeps shining. It will continue to shine regardless of whatever situation I may face in life. I am consoled and encouraged by the words of Raph Waldo Emerson “when it is dark enough, you can see the stars”.

Disturbed by the sound of the mosquitoes and night flies on a couch in front of our house facing the sky, Nick reminded me that it is 11.00 pm. He has been listening to me for almost half of an hour. We stood up and as we stroll back into the house, Nick pointing upwards in a sensational captivation, whispered to me “Stars are beautiful”. I followed the direction of his second finger in a spur-of-the-moment delight, beholding a brighter star. Here we are, looking up at the stars.