Somewhere Out There

After the Christmas Day turkey dinner things slowed down. Some started to put together a jigsaw puzzle. Others were reading in front of the fire. My uncle was busy washing up the dishes. Nobody wanted to join me for a walk.

So I went on my own. It was pitch black and minus 9 degrees Celsius. No clouds and no wind. I decided to go down to the beach. To fight off the darkness, I started to sing Swedish Christmas carols.

Living in a suburb, I'm not used to seeing so many stars. I went down the hill to the cliffs and climbed up to where the lifebuoy is posted. In the distance I could see the lights from the former fishing villages and in the far west the lighthouses twinkled. The waxing moon crescent spread its silver light on the calm sea surface.

I lay down on the red granite and watched the sky. The Big Dipper, Orion with his belt, Andromeda. My hands started to feel numb. I saw distant planes and high-flying satellites. I heard the gentle surf caressing the stone. Then suddenly, I saw a shooting star. Instantly my heart made a wish.

Edith Södergran, "Dagen svalnar"
When night comes 
stars swarm in the yard 
and I stand in the dark. 
Listen, a star fell with a clang! 
Don’t go out in the grass with bare feet; 
my yard is full of shards