Plateau Magazine June-July 2023

midsummer
ease of the summer months, recognizing
that as the nights begin to lengthen again
so, too, will everything else change.
I now wonder if nostalgia is the real gift
of summer’s warmth. For earlier humans,
estival solstice meant a sense of freedom
from the harsh struggle to sustain during
winter. For we modern humans, protected
from winter with Gore-Tex and central
heat, the childhood magic of summer persists,
almost as an archetype. Released
from the confines of the school day and
stringent bedtimes, the freedom to play
outside until dark yields joyful abandon.
Extra hours in a young life bring a
sense of possibility and mystery; anything
could happen. Throughout our short lives,
the extended light of summer days, the late
arrival of an inscrutable night sky, and the
ancient traditions for summer solstice can
evoke a longing that carries the innocence
of childhood wonder—an innocence at least
worthy of a bonfire celebration. P
(Clockwise): Fireflies flying in a summer forest;
Double rainbow in Pisgah National Forest
during the 2022 summer solstice; Summer
view from Webbmont property in Highlands.
PHOTOS KRISTIN E. LANDFIELD; WUT.ANUNAI
72 | ThePlateauMag.com