Waleed A. Maktari

Poem excerpt

From time immemorial: Man, has always been fascinated by the stars: those mysteriously, yet perfectly placed bodies of light that have adorned the heavens from the beginning of time. Many have endeavored to translate them, to decipher their meanings, trying to find a link between them and man's destiny.



This is the story of a young boy called Amir, who has also fallen in love with those 'old dazzling lights'. After a series of powerful dreams, Amir encounters the mysterious Teacher of the Stars, who Amir believes can teach him the secret of his dreams. These secrets begin to unfold, as Amir journeys through the 'stars' in search of love and peace. Amir is the searching soul, the child of inquisition. He stands at the edge of time, trying to 'capture' the inspiration from the songs he hears. He cannot rest until he unravels the meaning and significance of those stars, and their constellation in the heavens. With this understanding Amir's 'Heaven Without Stars' illuminates.

Waleed A. Maktari, originally from Yemen, was born in the United Kingdom in 1971, where he was educated, and lived most of his life. He currently resides in the United Arab Emirates where he works as an education counsellor.