When I was in high school, an English teacher assigned us to memorize a poem of at least a dozen lines or so. I have come to see this as a blessing (though of course it was anything but at the time), because the poem remains one of my favorites to this day...
"My Star" by Robert Browning
All that I know
Of a certain star,
Is, it can throw
(Like the angled spar)
Now a dart of red
Now a dart of blue,
Til my friends have said
They would fain see, too
My star that dartles the red and the blue!
Then it stops, like a bird; like a flower, hangs furled
They must solace themselves with the Saturn above it.
What matter to me if their star is a world?
Mine has opened its soul to me, therefore I love it.
Why do I love this poem so much? It reminds me of some of the people in my life who I have come to value and appreciate the most... right now, off the top of my head, it's two people: my best friend of 20 years, and my boyfriend (I'll call him A.P.) especially.
My boyfriend A.P. is a quiet one (always the quiet ones with me) and he is quietly witty, not one to be the center of attention, usually observing rather than taking the floor. He is sometimes sardonic, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dryly witty, sometimes mushily sweet, always very caring... but much of that is the proverbial light hidden from all but those who know him best. He is easily observed by many mutual friends as a genuine, caring, sometimes funny person, but his true genius, his caring soul, his intelligence, his true faith, his abundant wit... most don't look hard enough to see.
When a topic on the news comes up, he is frequently well-versed on the subject, having read the paper cover-to-cover out of interest in keeping himself well-informed. He is remarkably well-read, the most such person that I have ever met outside the writers in my family. He can speak with careful consideration and wisdom on so many subjects, I am in awe of his intelligence, yet he is humble himself about my perceptions of him. When we are alone, there are times when he is so quick with the witticisms as I am telling a story or trying to get him to answer a question, that I am reduced to helpless uncontrollable laughter, unable to continue or pursue my point until the humor subsides. When I am on the phone with my best friend, when he can hear that the conversation is truly winding down, he will start trying to make me laugh in an effort to hasten the end of the call, especially if we are on the way somewhere or about to do something. I have a very understanding best friend, and she will share my amusement, and we end such calls on a merry note.
I was thinking of this poem just now, and it brought A.P. to mind... I will tell others of the well of wit and profoundly thoughtful exposition and romantic caring that is this man, and they wonder about the quiet stoic-faced man they know. I wish I could show them the man I see, even as I am happy to keep this wonder to myself. He has "opened his soul to me", and I am happy to know the true heart of him, even if others don't see it... they see the "furled flower", but I see the star, and it is a sight to behold. :)
One last thought about this poem: it is said that Robert Browning wrote it for his wife, the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She was apparently a shy one in public who hated being the center of attention, though often sought out for readings for her own poetic prowess. Truly, a love poem about seeing the heart of someone that the public often overlooks... and so I dedicate it to A.P., with love...
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