To my favourite author

Sir Arthur C Clarke

Many times
I have walked among the stars,
let the mysteries of the Universe
unravel within;
submitted myself
to the cosmic beckoning
of black and white print
exploding in clouds of interstellar dust.
Imagination enriched
I emerge from a journey of many light years
as I close one book
and wait to pick up another -
the brilliant delivery of boundless possibilities
more magical than fiction,
wrapped in tales
of mystic hues.

You have passed on.

Every star that dies
leaves behind its light
to shine on Earth for several more life-times,
and your glow illumines
my sky.

By Hasitha Wickremasinghe