Summer Solstice

Warmth from the unexpected

Sometimes when I sit down to write, something expected pops out. It’s as if someone sat down across from me, asked a question I wasn’t anticipating, and through writing, out flows my response. 

Such was my experience today. 

On this first day of summer, my unexpected visitor was this poem. Apparently, I had something to say about this longest day of the year.

Summer Solstice

First day of summer
long day of our year
Sun’s rays enchanting
snow melts…the tears

Darkness is shortened
What of the night?
Dreams float around us
our star is so bright

Hope in the outside
storms swirl within
Sorrow and longing
they’re not our sin

Feeling unseen
confused in the dark
Call out to someone
embrace and embark

This day full of promise
so tall and so bright
Let’s not forget
this too a good night

I have always loved the solstice - both summer and winter. They feel like holidays, not created by humans but rather gifts from the natural world. These are days meant to mark our passage through the year, days that usher in light and mark darkness. These are days that feel like Wednesdays to me - hump days, bell-shaped curves in our year grounding us in universe-time.

For so many, this time of summer often feels synonymous with happiness, light and freedom. But our more melancholic feelings can be there too, and amidst the light, we must not shun the darkness. The two complete each other. I am currently reading Susan Cain’s book Bittersweet, and the power of these minor-key emotions feel particularly poignant. I feel them often, and not in a sad way, but in a thoughtful way. We must not label these emotions negatively in ourselves or in others. They get to be just what they are - thoughts we can investigate, feelings we can nurture, and emotions we can grow. 

Today, let’s embrace ALL that we feel with the warmth of the solstice and feel whole.