Tuesday, October 20, 2009

October

I wrote this in college. It was an imitation exercise in freshman comp class. I don't remember the piece it was based on. It's the only thing I'm proud of that I wrote in college. Or maybe ever:

In the first place, October makes me feel content. Autumn does have this effect. Autumn brings cool evenings, and it is cool evenings that relieve the restlessness of summer nights. They are not chilling, these fall nights, they are only refreshing; the air is brisk, not to mention startling, and it hurries me along to my room, even as I look up into the sky and notice the intense brightness of the autumn stars. October speaks of warmth and protection. It points out what is perfectly obvious yet seldom realized: that the fall and winter months are a blessing, that cold requires warmth, warmth requires companionship, companionship requires love, and the two seasons bring people together and make them dependent on each other. Sometimes the weather proceeds further and forces us to depend wholly on our neighbors, something we fear. But as to the immediate effects of fall, it fills a need in all of us. It brings us together. People together cannot, by consequence, be lonely, and the gathering of friends on a cool October evening is thus the exact antithesis of a desolate being. October makes me feel content.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I too love fall. Get-togethers seem so much more honest in the fall than they do in the summer or around the holidays of winter. More deliberate.

Awesome post . . . and welcome back!

Mary Alice said...

Me too. I think there is sort of primal contentment about fall...that we have gathered our harvest, we have enough, maybe more than enough, and the ability to share our abundance.

Anonymous said...

A pretty piece.

Jennifer S said...

For twenty years, I've loved this piece.

Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

Neat! I love the way you expressed this. I'm in my robe and comfy pants enjoying fall right now.

Stacie said...

You are completely awesome chickie! What a great piece!

flutter said...

This is lovely, truly

Nora said...

i agree with you completely :-)

Louise said...

This is wonderful, but definitely not the only thing you should be proud of writing. Definitely not.