I am moved when I remember the poem by Vinícius “O Haver (Having)”. It is a twilight poem. It gazes at the reddened horizon, turns back and takes inventory of what’s left. I felt like doing something similar, knowing that I’m not Vinicius, I’m not a poet, I know nothing about meter and rhymes. And I would start each paragraph with the same word he started his stanzas with: It remains…

What remains is the twilight light, that lacerating mixture of beauty and sadness. Before it begins at the end of the day the twilight begins on us. The boy Miguelim already felt like this: “There was no time. In the morning it was already night…” That’s how I feel, a twilight being. A line by Rilke tells me the truth about life: “Who was it that so fascinated us so that we had a parting air in everything we do?”

Friends remain. When all is lost, friends remain. I’m reminded of Carole King’s old song “You got a friend”: “If you’re sad, at the bottom of the abyss and everything is going wrong, you need someone to help you – close your eyes and think of me. Soon I’ll be by your side to light up the dark night. Just call my name… You know I’ll come running to see you again. Winter, spring, summer or autumn, just call and I’ll be by your side. You have a friend…” I have many friends who continue to like me despite knowing me. And I also have a lot of friends that I’ve never seen… 🙏🏾❤️

©️ Beatriz Esmer