In the middle of night she blooms, the Night Queen spreading her white petals of fragrance. In the morning she droops and wilts. To see her in true splendor midnight is the only time. Once I saw this little white fairy with her winged petals. She was like a fragrant moon radiant in her petal-corona; she kept her attached to a green flower stalk in a corner. I switched off the light after a while and she remained visible in her scent. Then I looked up. There the moonless night showed up with her millions of night-queens twinkling. In one place was a huge question mark, glittering, perhaps asking me, how do we look, we the starry blooms? Of course they’re familiar to me from my childhood days, the seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, The Big Dipper. They are the Sapta Rishis, seven sages to us. My father first introduced them to me with the story of these seven Light Beings that children of our times knew. And now they carry his memory too. I still have the reverence for them that was inculcated into me from my childhood.
Wakeful night
Blinks her starry eyelids
Memories glitter
Source Night Queen
Posted for Haibun Monday – Twinkle Twinkle @ dVerse
sumanar/lekha 
A beautiful memory Sumana.
Beautiful lines Sumana…. your words take me to childhood ….to sky watching episodes then and now!
A beautiful haibun and I have come away with something new – the seven sages, which I will look up later. Thank you, Sumana!
Oh I do love the way you name your constellations.. of course I have always love the bears on the sky… Ursa Major and Ursa Minor…
Early
hUmans
iN South Asia..
look up to imaginary
angles of connections
oF StarS in sky.. finding
sticks.. scratching sanskrit
alphabet copies of connections
oF sKy StarS.. iN sAnd..
and noW
wE sPeak
Star Language
as without Language
there are no Stars or
Skyscrapers of Angles
or even Angels.. aLL iS
lEft iS Essence oF GoD..
iT aLL stARs witH A prEhensile
thumb and digit oF FinGer.. noW
bits and bytes bEcoMe 10 fingers plaYinG
Keyboard oF SiGns thE sAMe.. wHeRe
iT aLL bEgan
as Digit of Finger
and Art of Thumb
comeS toGeTheR
Scratching Angels of skY..
iN sand.. now Digital Art aLiVe..
Star Language..
Hands
aLiVe..:)
Scrolling through your haibun, already touched deeply and the photo of the Night Queen produced an oomph in my tummy! Very beautiful.
I am struck by the thought that as the planet rotates, the stars above touch many cultures in turn, and impart wisdom and stories to each that are different.
That is a really beautiful haiku, crowns an lovely haibun beautifully. it’s great to hear how different cultures view the stars, too.
To see the Night Queen and those stars – amazing haibun Sumana. Those stories enrich our lives.
Down the track along memory lane is a never ending journey. Wonderful Haibun Sumana!
Hank
absolutely beautiful! The haibun, the haiku that crowns it. Thank you!
1what an incredible haibun. I love how you share your childhood with us and also, the story of the seven sages and the Night Queen. Thank you! The haiku at the end perfectly crowns the haibun.
Beauty in the words. 🙂
Beautiful!
Beautiful, spiritually rich write, Sumana. I love learning about your culture.
“…with her millions of night-Queens twinkling…..” this is so beautiful, Sumana and steeped in loving memory.
this is breathtakingly beautiful, Sumana! ❤
Awwee the night queen and the seven sages. ❤ This is indeed beautiful, Sumana.
Thanks for sharing your special memories. I admire your gorgeous haiku!
Beautifully composed.
Interesting how we each interpret such a wonder, and this was delightful in the imagery and story of memories and what it means to you in particular.
Thanks for teaching us another name for the “Big Dipper”. Love the memories and imagery.