Even the Stars smile!

She stood straight staring at the stars, when I found her last night. Our home had become so dark with artificial lights that she longed for a natural one. And since there was no moonlight, the stars were the only flames in her universe.

She had always told me that, the beauty of real things was independent on their distance, but unreal things, even in their proximity, were never felt. I could perceive that she must have dreamt even without sleeping: there was an unreal light in the house!

Lucy has always been the best woman in my life and She is slow to anger, but quick to smile. When She smiles, she carries her soul with her; you cannot dare to doubt her authenticity! Her skin complexion is like the Italian Cappuccino, a mixture of the Coffee skin of her Father and the Milky skin of my Grandmother. She knows my worries and she is never tired of my stories. When I speak, every part of her listens, and her poetic response – which, at times, could be simple silence – answers every eventual doubts.

At least there is something natural and real in the skies tonight, but the only real person in my life is not at home. I fear to distract her now, but I must break this silence, even if it were with a silent presence. I hope she doesn’t feel something unreal around her. I also need her light now.

She knew I would wake up. She knew I would find her. The last time, she came out to see the stars, it took only five minutes to find her. But she hates to be disturbed when she speaks with silence. But I don’t wish to disturb her; I just desire to be there. As I lean on the Olive tree close to her, She begins to speak:

Tonight I’m awake

-Sleep sleeps now-

But light must partake

-in this now-

And Stars for my sake.

I didn’t need an angel to announce my presence to her and her awareness to me. For about a week, Lucy never uttered any word at home. I had become so unreal lately. She discovered that I had lied to her about a new friend, Theresa, whom I met in school. Theresa was so charming and her voice was all I longed to hear. But It was not yet time to let Lucy know about her, despite the poetic questions she was raising at table. And Lucy doesn’t waste words when she is in the midst of unreal things. Having spoken, I decided to speak too to the dark silent garden:

Tonight I’m aware

All could cease

With no one to spare;

Rest in Peace

With no gold to share

She turned immediately to look at me. I smiled expecting some special treat, but She looked into the skies once more. It was time for the stars to speak. We both listened silently. Then, I interrupted the stars again:

Tonight I’m alive

Just for hope –

‘morrow will arrive

-In this Globe-

And we will survive

My mum smiled. She knew something had changed in her son. It is only love that could turn her only fatherless son into a poet. Of course, my father meant a lot to her, that she learnt all his poems by heart . She never forgets him. No! not even for a moment! She turned to me and, taking a deep breath, she walked closer while speaking these words:

Tonight is the last

That I’ll fear

My tears are a past    

I hold dear

But now I must fast    

Dad’s death left mum with deep sorrow. This was a page of her life that she greeted daily. No one could erase it, not even I. Our neighbours were kind people. Mrs Maria, an English teacher, once told us that my father was her best teacher. Last Christmas, we celebrated together with her family: Mr JohnBosco, her husband, Regina and Theresa, her twin daughters. It was amazing! These were the real people around us; they were the stars of our nights! Lately Theresa started visiting us with their dog, Bingo, but without Regina, just like I visited them last week without my mother. Mum was closer to Theresa. She also had a cappuccino complexion like Lucy. Her eyes emitted some convincing innocence that, lately, has become contagious. Although they were twin, Regina had no time to play Ludo game with us. She preferred to read all the time, even when she heard that I was around. She was nice but, she was as strict as our English teacher, her mother.

On my twenty eighth birthday, my mum’s birthday wishes read:

My son has turned a man

and his sun’s leaving the East,

My son will find a woman

and we will once again feast.

I never told her I had someone on my mind and she never said so. But I understood that she had said it all. One day she told me the story of her first meeting with my late father. Dad was too shy to express his feelings, according to her. But when he did, it became eternal in my mum’s mind, although she had read it all in my dad’s eyes. And tonight, she seems to read the same thing in mine too, but I doubt if she knows whom I love. But I know she admires her dear “Tessy” so much that she often tells me about how we used to be fond of each other when we were kids.

Mum begins to sing as she moves closer to me while I wonder with why. She sings smiling contagiously:

Tonight tells me all

Joy is near!

Soon shall sound the call         

All will hear -

    Men: big and small



I knew that mum knew I was in love, but she wanted me to tell it to her. She could perceive everything. As she gets closer, I move towards her. Nodding like the Agama lizard I once saw behind our uncompleted house, I say to her: “It is true, She is Theresa – our neighbour’s daughter.” Then we hugged and smiled. As she smiled, she pointed up to the skies. And I joined her, staring silently at the stars.