Starlover: A True Story

One of the prompts from Saturday's writing workshop was a meme with a series of word coinages referring to affection for different natural phenomena -- astrophile for one who loves stars, pluviophile for one who loves rain.

Astrophile for me, of course, I thought. I bent over my pen to write something in my usual mode -- constellations, world sorrow -- and then I remembered Starlover.

Starlover

Or the time Starlover, born in North Vancouver, masqueraded as a Russian tourist with appendicitis to distract the security guards long enough for the rest of us to get upstairs to the BCNI (corporate lobbyist) office where, finding fewer useful anchor points than anticipated, Em and Kai chained themselves to each other, and I chained myself to a rocking chair.

I don't know how it became the plan for Starlover to don a black embroidered tunic and scream in his first-year Russian at the information desk. It was completely unnecessary for the operation itself.

This all took place before social media, so once we were dragged out, had given up attempting to barricade the outer doors, and had run out of leaflets, it was as though nothing happened. Or no -- we accidentally knocked over a large potted plant, so there was some evidence of our passage.

Starlover was also obsessed with North Korea and had written a song about the country to the tune of "Jesus Christ Superstar," which he sang in full back at the campus as we lay down to sleep on the floor of the Student Society lounge.

* * * * * *

So that was a fun swerve.

Note: Starlover named himself, I believe, for Amor de Cosmos rather than Astrophil.

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