A storm comes in over water,
and we watch its slow, rolling approach across the epilimnion,
until it finally anoints our feet, then shoulders, then hair with rainwater:
a lazy concatenation of the senses.
Later, a sun-warmed deck chair embraces my cold bathing suit clad body,
and the torpid buzz of cicadas circles our unhurried conversation.
You brush away the sand on my arm through the gilt mantle of the mid-Atlantic air,
and we lose track of time in its heft and hush:
Aergia and Somnus in their untroubled dwelling.
You bring me a palmful of cherries, and I find a bowl of peaches on the unlit kitchen counter,
behind the patched screen door,
past the beach towels over the railing, undisturbed by breeze,
through the hum and click of a fan.
Summer is one long whisper:
listen, while I sigh against time.
Post-Scripts.
*This musing was partly inspired by a poem by Raquel Franco titled “Slow Girl Summer” in which she writes: “When it rains stroll the aisles of an old bookstore and strum the spine of stories yet to be ventured. Lose time’s phone number. Slow dance through summer to the percussion of your own pulse.” I found the image of tucking into a bookshop to avoid a summer storm evocative and found myself lost for a few minutes in sister memories of summer languors past, and the above tumbled out.
+I love reading about your favorite parts of winter. The pleasantries of summer suggest themselves much more readily for me. What are a few of yours?
+”You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” This poem still puts a shiver straight down my spine.
Shopping Break.
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+I’ve noticed a micro-trend of drop-waist / elongated waist silhouettes on dresses lately. Love this one.
+Another cute drop-waist option, under $75!
+Loewe-inspired sunglasses for under $15. I own these in a few colors. I find it handy to have a few of these inexpensive sunglass cases on hand — the cheaper shades never come with boxes/cases and sometimes the ones from my higher end styles don’t fit in my smaller bags!
+Magpie readers LOVE Dior Lip Oil (so many upvotes for Dior lip products in the comments section here), and I found them on rare sale!
+All the cool girls are wearing boxer shorts this summer.
+Under-$50 blockprint tablecloth for your summer tablescapes.
+Just ordered my daughter a few things from J. Crew: this strawberry bikini, a few of these tanks, these shorts, and rose gold Birks!
+A fun statement pool slide and a seriously cute summer bag.
+Love this $136 seashell print dress! Reminds me of something from Ciao Lucia.
+My daughter has been fascinated by our crossword puzzle addiction, so I ordered her her own book.
+Swooning over the print on this two-piece.
I love…
Seeing lightning bugs against the dusk sky
The feeling of my feet on the grass..and when I was younger running on hot asphalt
The way the days are so long they allow you to linger
How green everything is
Cold watermelon and how refreshing it is. My dad used to meticulously cut watermelon and take all of the seeds out for us. A labor of love in the days before seedless watermelon.
How free flowing it all is…or was, in my childhood. I long to allow my adult life to match the pace of my childhood summers.
Shorts! I love the version of me in shorts. They feel playful, childlike. And go perfectly with barefeet.
I was on an evening walk on Sunday and saw so many people outside with friends enjoying the evening around 8:30. I love that – people gathering and being together – and want much more of that this summer. Excited that we have plans with neighbors/new friends for the second time tonight!
Ah! I love this poetry, Joanna! Especially your comment “I love the version of me in shorts.” So beautiful — I know exactly what you mean!
Love this! “The hum and click of a fan” totally nails the vibe! I was transported back to a quiet summer afternoon in the 1980s before my parents had A/C. And towels over the railing are such a summer vacation mainstay…I remember renting a condo in Maui about 8 years ago, and getting a note under our door from management forbidding towels on the balcony. Like where else are they supposed to go??
The beginning of your piece reminds me of the beginning of one of our favorite children’s books, Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey. Watching the raindrops march across the water until it’s raining on you!
Thank you so much! I agree, these sensory experiences are hard-wired — part of summer “core” for me. Thanks for the McCloskey book rec – I love him but didn’t know that one!
xx