It is September 19th; it is nearly autumn. Today it rained, truly rained, for the first time in weeks. The dry summer streets of New York City thirsted for a cool, soothing storm to ease us into the chilly months ahead. Pavement has sizzled in the summer sun for months, every part of the city expanding in the heavy humid air of a concrete jungle in July or August.
I left my windows open today, no need for air conditioning in the cool morning as rain fell heavy outside. No cruel wind twisted the drops to send them flying indoors; vertical sheets hit fire escapes and sidewalks but window sills stayed dry.
Tonight my bedroom smells of rain and lavender, a candle I burn in the night. It is clean, fresh, and airy, an atmosphere ready for the changing for seasons, for freedom from the heavy scents of summer - sweating bodies crammed in subway cars, garbage warming on the curb, the ever-lingering waft of sunscreen and sea spray.
Summer is in the final minutes of twilight, as the dawn of autumn approaches. I can almost hear the crisp crunch of biting an apple, smell the cinnamon and cloves of spiked cider, feel the first breezes that beckon sweater weather. Now is the time when we would be foolish to stow away our air conditioners for the season already, but most nights can sleep under bedding with windows thrown open to the cool night air. We are nearly free from making every effort to seal ourselves indoors to keep away the oppressive air of summer days in the city.
I smell lavender and rain, feel the comfort of cool sheets, and for once hear stillness in the place of the hum of air conditioners that roar like city cicadas in the night. Sometimes a confused bird squawks, perhaps not realizing it is dark, or perhaps not realizing he is in Brooklyn. Cars race by, driving far too fast on my two-block street, blasting snippets of songs that crescendo and fade, familiar only because I have heard them in this same way so many times before.
Darkness settles in like a heavy blanket, clouds obscuring the moon in the lingering post-storm haze. Lights behind curtained windows from the apartment building opposite mine twinkle through the leaves of the big tree across the street, swaying in an almost imperceptible breeze.
It is September 19th; it is nearly autumn. My bedroom smells of rain and lavender. I say goodbye to the twilight of summer, hello to the dawn of autumn. Say a little prayer to Persephone, and blow out the candle. Goodnight.
