Fireworks explode during the closing ceremony in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 24, 2008.

The Olympic flame is extinguished during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" on August 24, 2008.

Fireworks explode during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium August 24, 2008.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines. This Pablo Neruda line so truly describes the feeling of every heart that beat in China last night.

Even the skies couldn't hold back their tears - but they made sure to cry in silence as the last dawn broke over the Beijing Games. They realized immediately, though, that it's not in the right spirit to say goodbye with tears in the eyes, and saved the rest for some other day.

Tears are natural at the end of a grand get-together. But the people who have gathered in Beijing from all over the world to enjoy the 17 days deserved to be seen off with a smile.

This is the time to remember, too, that Beijing had Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong to share the Olympic glory.

Beijing has done everything it could to enrich the spirit of the Olympics. It passed on the Olympic torch to London last night, with hope that the legacy will be carried forward.

And it is with this spirit that the sacred flame seemed to say: "So long, Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Chaoyang Park and Tian'anmen Square. Hello, Wembley, Wimbledon, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square."