Release me

I went out side tonight, and saw the most beautiful thing. Between the stars were these gorgeous glowing moons just drifting gently through the sky. At a closer look I realised that they were Sky Lanterns or 'Paper Moons'. People here are releasing them into the sky because of the 'Festa Junina' (June Festival) which is based on the festivities that the Portuguese introduced in the Colonial period.

I will have no way of understanding what the Brazilians feel for this festival and what significance it holds for them, but one of my first thoughts was, maybe it's a tribute to those who have gone away, those who have passed. This was beautiful to me.

Watching them made me think of the song 'Release Me' by Oh Laura, as well as a song by someone else I'm listening to a lot these days, Johnny Cash's epitaph song 'Hurt' particularly because of the words "everyone I know goes away in the end" and "I am still here". This song touches me profoundly. It also makes me ask myself, what will I become?