On fall and a trip down memory lane:
This morning was full of dreamy / nostalgic moments ; I’ve decided to call today the first of fall, and I was dressed ready for it too…. Made breakfast oatmeal in a rush, then I paused in front of the open kitchen window with my hot plate in my hand, savoring the cold breeze that stole into the kitchen as I surveyed the sky, watching the sun tint the clouds with the soft pastels of early morning. And I thought: I’ll sit on the windowsill and eat, and sit on the sill I did… That reminded me of a moment I had, the younger me, on the cramped balcony of our then- apartment reveling in the crisp coolness of day breaking, feeling that this tiny spot in our town, facing a fast-food smelling alley, was the top of the world, thinking about our planned move across the globe and lamenting over whether I’d ever feel that feeling again… and as I sat there on the sill slurping my scalding sweet soul, I realized: fall! Fall is my favorite season! Why do I always have such a hard time answering that question?
Fall! The pockets of warmth in the teasing cold, the earthy tones in everything from clothes to food to the life transforming around us, CINNAMON! , the last of tree leaves, rustling in the rising wind, whispering welcomes to the winter that’s soon to wake… Fall … is summer aging, changing shades, giving the sun a blanket and making way for a new beginning… making way for the canvas of the world to be wiped clean, cloaked in white, before spring splays its blossom-bearing branches, and rings the world in rainbows once again…
Another little moment that sent me back was when I got on the bus, and it was a bit warm inside, since it was a bit cold outside… The mild toastiness was so comforting, like a hug from an old friend… adding to that was the soft smell of perfumes and colognes emanating from some passengers or others, which flung me back to cool mornings in classrooms… arrivals… and old places and people… missed the feeling… coat covered classmates filing in, rustling waterproof fabrics, shuffling feet on the carpeted floors…. bags thudding and clinking onto desks and chairs as the sleepy students sank into their seats, pausing in what’s left of the morning’s drowsy daydream before the bell sounding would bring the beginning of dreaded daily routine…
-Sundus Aladra
