Approaching the first turn of summer then… most times I miss it because there isn’t a dramatic demarcation, rather the slow burn of the warmth into the earth, the sun present and strong even when it’s overcast. The fun turn, when summer is at its zenith near the mid-July glory, when all you see on the horizon and for the foreseeable future is more of summer, and all that is behind you is also summer. A song to begin the bridge to our Middle Eastern-inflected section as proclaimed by my summer theme guide, my niece Emi (she who chose ‘Coquette‘ and ‘Island‘).
The journey home is never too long
Your heart arrives before the train
The journey home is never too long
Some yesterdays always remain
I’m going back to where my heart was light
When my pillow was a ship, I sailed through the night
The journey home is never too long
When open hearts are waiting there
The journey home is never too long
There’s room to love and room to spare
I want to feel the way that I did then
And think my wishes through before I wish again
The idea of home in the summer is transient, like the vacations some of us take, the travels some of us make. It’s an idea more than a place, and as such summer teaches us how to make a home wherever we might be, whenever we may need it. For some of us, home is a family, a spouse, a friend, a lover. For some it is a pet, a house, a tree from our childhood. If you’re one of the lucky ones, home is yourself – a place where you always feel at ease and safe and comforted from the torments of the world. That’s the best sort of home to make – and making peace with yourself means you can feel at home wherever you might be (especially your own backyard).
Not every boat you come across is one you have to take
No, sometimes standing still can be the best move you ever make
