then, when the star-studded sky
would brighten our upturned faces,
we liked to believe it filled
us with real brilliance,
gifted down from the lay
of the galaxy, so that when we slept
we would be glowing inside. now,
whenever we are awake,
in stillness, or still-captivated
spell, we who have soaked up
the illumination can almost
be under that starry sky again,
as one might taste the deep
kiss of bliss the evening gives
and know how immeasurably
our hearts have fallen, as we
wrap up more tightly around us
the cover of wishing stars.
Hope Sabanpan Yu
Hope Sabanpan Yu is a poet, essayist and fictionist. She is currently the director of the University of San Carlos Cebuano Studies
Center and the chair of the Division of the Humanities of the National Research Council of the Philippines.
