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When I see the night sky

I remember

By PK ColleranPublished 5 months ago Updated 4 months ago 1 min read
Honorable Mention in The Road Drops Here Challenge
When I see the night sky
Photo by Robert Hrovat on Unsplash

You might expect

descriptions like

Magnificence

Splendor

Glory

.

Instead

What I can give you is

Simplicity

A mere

three words

.

From an ordinary working man

Whom I never met

.

For forty years, I saw his photo

on the desk of his eldest son

José Waxemberg 1902-1964

His family fled the violence in

Ukraine

From fiery pogroms

To the wheat-filled pampas of

Moisés Ville Argentina

.

He made a good life

and had a good son

No religion

No worship

No prayer in the house

Love, respect, study

Work

That was the way to have

A good life

A good family

.

When still in his forties,

It struck like lightning

Heart attack

His now-grown son

Returned from university

To be at his bedside

.

Son

His father whispered

Listen

I need to tell you

.

I saw God

.

I do not know what he meant by that

I cannot give you

Adjectives

Nor explanations

.

I do know it changed his life

.

He lived another seven years

Finding new interest in old texts

Sacred writings

History of thought and the universe

Devotion

.

Most of all

He loved moments of silence

Sitting long hours

Looking at the wheat fields

and the starry night sky

.

Daily news reminds me

of those three words

Ukraine, Israel, Gaza

Casualties around the world

.

I find myself

Hoping

They all saw what he saw

Three words that say more

Than anything we can know.

By Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

inspirational

About the Creator

PK Colleran

"There are people who write, but I think they’re quite different from people who must write."

Harper Lee

Writer, translator, seeker

Editor of Landscape of the Soul by Hipólito Sánchez and Words Matter by Jorge Waxemberg

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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Comments (3)

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  • Angie the Archivist 📚🪶about 16 hours ago

    Well deserved placing in the challenge. A thought provoking read.

  • Aarsh Malik2 months ago

    This is beautiful and deeply moving such a powerful story told with grace and simplicity.

  • Wooohooooo congratulations on your honourable mention! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

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