I have read about the Milky Way, I’ve have fantasies of stars, I know that they should twinkle, but only once I’ve seen the magnitude of stars, the Milky Way, the star of stars that span across the velvet night. I live in the far north, and summer-nights are short. I only know the brightest of the constellations, Orion’s belt, the big dipper (or the big bear as I prefer to call it) and the polar star. But many years ago we went camping in the woods northeast of Phoenix, the summer night was much cooler than in the desert far below, but still much warmer than I’ve seen at home. We were unprepared for darkness and had to search for matches, torches and our camping stove, but as we fumbled in the darkness, you stopped, exclaimed “look, above”, and behind the canopies of pines I saw, for the first and only time, a perfect road of light, our galaxy, the Milky Way.
warm pine needles
this cicada lullaby —
milky way above
Starry night by Edward Munch
Today Toni take care of Haibun Monday at dVerse, and the topic is on night and stars. Be sure to read it, there is a lot of inspiration to be found in her article. This is my one of favorite songs by the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6jhpaX7fNQ
September 5, 2016
Björn Rudbergs writings 
It’s the second time I hear you mention not really knowing the stars. I’ll admit to pitying you. Beseech you to move! 🙂 You wrote a beautiful haibun.
Maybe I remember that wonderful occasion all the more…
Indeed!
What a wonderful occasion! I am so glad you were able to finally witness the Milky Way, the River of Heaven. It is indeed lovely and even more so where there is no light pollution.
Ooh, “road of light.” I like that. Also “cicada lullaby.” Very creative.
The bit I miss about living on a farm is being able to see stars. My fiancee one mentioned how many stars were out but when I looked up I couldn’t believe he thought that was a ‘clear’ night. I suppose we only know what we’ve seen.
what an amazing experience, Björn 🙂
I can feel the warmth and see the Milky Way with you. It must have been amazing, especially as it sounds as if it was so unexpected.
Oh, you’re so fortunate. I’d love to see the Milky Way one day!
Ah! so that’s how you do it! Lovely prose …descriptive, pulled me right in and held me….and that haiku! Wonderful!’
I, too….have only a few times seen the Milky Way….and it is unforgettable. On a hillside devoid of trees, in the middle of a pasture….and oh, my! Unbelievable. Not that is the universe. at least to me..
Nice take…easy to picture myself in that scenario. There is something magical about those stars that seem so reachable.
I’ll beet you had a great night’s sleep! Moving.
A lovely story in this halibun.
cicada lullaby…that is indeed the right music for the road of light…. !!
To witness the perfect road of light, the milky way is an amazing experience. I also love the cicada lullaby Bjorn!
I have seen it, too, on an island off of Tofino, where there were no man made lights…spectacular. That same night, I saw bioluminescence in the ocean. A double-hitter.
can imagine how wonderful the experience is! 😀 and love the phrase ‘cicada lullaby’! 😀
‘road of light’ shines so brightly here…beautiful…
A stellar haibun, Bjorn. I could picture the scene and love the haibun with its cicada lullaby.
Even with light pollution, this morning when I went out to get the paper, the Milky Way was a faint smear. Each of us knows the stars in a different way.
Ah, the glory of the stars above and the songs of cicadas below… what a lovely pair.. ❤
ah the perfect road of light — and the cicada lullaby. Beautifully penned….and the idea of seeing this once in a lifetime painted within your Swedish heritage. Reality within the beauty of words.
At the beginning of this read I was telling myself “but he lived in Phoenix,” and then you answered my question. The night sky in the desert is amazing. When I lived in Phoenix in the early 60’s it was a small town with a one-room airport (can you believe it?) Back then you just had to look out the window.
Indeed… but when I lived there you had to get out… this was somewhere northeast of the small town of Strawberry…
Ah lovely. k.
Surely you will always remember that. Thanks for sharing it so well!
We do get some incredible Milky Way here in the west. 🙂 Love this.
(You have a typo in your second line…should read “I’ve had…”
Definitely a “stellar” experience (couldn’t resist the pun)…thanks for sharing the wonder in the details!
A beautiful account of a magical moment.
What do we lose because of the light pollution. I can only imagine the wonder and magic of seeing the Milky Way the way you did. Thanks for sharing the experience.
I long to get away from all of our light pollution so that I, too, could REALLY see the stars!
I love the way you describe the sky as your fantasy, perhaps a fantasy of a sky journey even. And, how you follow it up with the revelation that your earth journey showed you the “perfect road of light”… Oh the stars are lovely to behold. I hope you get many more occasions to enjoy them.
That must truly be a beautiful sight. I need to get away from the city lights one night and enjoy the sky.
The prose piece has a wonderful journal-esque – yet, lyrical – quality to it and the haiku is exquisite and stellar. You couldn’t have picked a more perfect theme – nature at it’s zenith: mystical and divine. A splendid haibun.
Enthralling!!!!
. Indeed… but when I lived there you had to get out… this was somewhere northeast of the small town of Strawberry…