Do you remember your 'Last Summer of Childhood"?
I think I do.
It was that last Summer, when you felt goofy enough to still be childish, but knew you were about to be expected to begin to behave, as an Adult, with 'decorum' and 'maturity'.
Though, really, what did those terms mean, in the REAL world, as you knew it??
It seemed to mean, you could no longer wade through mud, in creeks and gullies, where you had spent time, frittering away hours, as you built a dam, to stop the full flow of the creek. Then, when you released the dam, you watched with fascination, as the water gushed to rush free of all restriction.
You pulled clay, from the banks of the creek, and fashioned it into models. Ducks, bowls, and various weird looking creatures.
You waited, naively, for the clay figurines to dry, in the hot Summer sun, then you painted them, and glazed them, with domestic varnish, you stole from your best friend's Brother-in law's shed, in the hope they might prevail, in some space and time, in the future. Some little portion of this last, magical, childish Summer may exist, long after all had changed.
Your observations of the sun, gleaming through the delicate spider webs. The beautiful silver strands so delicate, yet so strong, but ultimately, so very fragile. Swept away, with the sweep of a hand, or the rush of an insect, too strong to be captured, in that fine web.
Your fondness for the moss, the delicate ferns, that grew on the side stones of the creek.
How beautiful they all seemed, as if viewed through an exaggerated magnifying glass, a type of 'diamond view',of perfection, to last the rest of your days of living memory. How precious the memories were, to be stored, and savoured, as a milestone in your life.
The trips to the Beach, which was a local "Resort", of the day, which were so exciting., and so intimidating, as the promenading young men, swaggered and strutted up to the Milk bar. The songs on the Jukebox, which made the heart ache, and seemed to offer an adult world, filled with romance, and 'love' everlasting.
The final 'School Holiday', spent at an Aunt and Uncle's farm. The secret excitement of the invitation for a 'date' after the holidays, when you would have officially 'left School' and become, somehow, an Adult!
The secret Admirer, someone a little older. How daring. How exciting to think, you might finally enter the realm of Adulthood. How exciting to think he might consider 'dating' an ex school girl!
The music all seemed to poignant, the dew on the grass seemed to cast such gems of light, in the early morning sun. Like the shades of your best friend's mother's cut crystal, in the light of the sun, through the afternoon rays, of the open curtains.
Or, your Aunt's diamonds, in her ring, that shed such beautiful shafts of light, in the sunshine, at the shearing shed.
After all, it was all Illusion. It was the Last Summer of My Childhood.
I think I do.
It was that last Summer, when you felt goofy enough to still be childish, but knew you were about to be expected to begin to behave, as an Adult, with 'decorum' and 'maturity'.
Though, really, what did those terms mean, in the REAL world, as you knew it??
It seemed to mean, you could no longer wade through mud, in creeks and gullies, where you had spent time, frittering away hours, as you built a dam, to stop the full flow of the creek. Then, when you released the dam, you watched with fascination, as the water gushed to rush free of all restriction.
You pulled clay, from the banks of the creek, and fashioned it into models. Ducks, bowls, and various weird looking creatures.
You waited, naively, for the clay figurines to dry, in the hot Summer sun, then you painted them, and glazed them, with domestic varnish, you stole from your best friend's Brother-in law's shed, in the hope they might prevail, in some space and time, in the future. Some little portion of this last, magical, childish Summer may exist, long after all had changed.
Your observations of the sun, gleaming through the delicate spider webs. The beautiful silver strands so delicate, yet so strong, but ultimately, so very fragile. Swept away, with the sweep of a hand, or the rush of an insect, too strong to be captured, in that fine web.
Your fondness for the moss, the delicate ferns, that grew on the side stones of the creek.
How beautiful they all seemed, as if viewed through an exaggerated magnifying glass, a type of 'diamond view',of perfection, to last the rest of your days of living memory. How precious the memories were, to be stored, and savoured, as a milestone in your life.
The trips to the Beach, which was a local "Resort", of the day, which were so exciting., and so intimidating, as the promenading young men, swaggered and strutted up to the Milk bar. The songs on the Jukebox, which made the heart ache, and seemed to offer an adult world, filled with romance, and 'love' everlasting.
The final 'School Holiday', spent at an Aunt and Uncle's farm. The secret excitement of the invitation for a 'date' after the holidays, when you would have officially 'left School' and become, somehow, an Adult!
The secret Admirer, someone a little older. How daring. How exciting to think, you might finally enter the realm of Adulthood. How exciting to think he might consider 'dating' an ex school girl!
The music all seemed to poignant, the dew on the grass seemed to cast such gems of light, in the early morning sun. Like the shades of your best friend's mother's cut crystal, in the light of the sun, through the afternoon rays, of the open curtains.
Or, your Aunt's diamonds, in her ring, that shed such beautiful shafts of light, in the sunshine, at the shearing shed.
After all, it was all Illusion. It was the Last Summer of My Childhood.
7 comments:
I don't remember my last summer of childhood but your post brought back some memories of my early youth. Thanks for that.
I get the years mixed up, but I remember being young, and the beach, playing at the river etc, I just hope that my child has similar memories of her teen years.
Certain smells bring me right back to summer childhood.
Although, I have to say being a stay-at-home mom when my kids were young allowed me to relive all those things, and someday if I'm lucky, there will be grand-babies to do all those things with again...
Lovely post. I don't think I remember the last summer specifically but I do remember my sixteenth birthday and feeling that now I was starting to be grown up. And it was a very exciting feeling.
I don't remember the last summer specifically. What I do remember, quite painfully, is my time at university as I sought to gain independence and a lessening of the domestic load which as the second child had fallen more to me than to my older sister, who had gone off to do nursing. Somehow the younger children never seemed to be expected to share the load, and my parents were demanding, and disapproving, and did not help the transition to adulthood.
I do so wish that I had a period with a golden glow to it.
I always enjoy coming along with you on your memory rides. I remember desperately wanting to be a teenager and spending my 12th summer longing for my older brother's friend to notice me. being 12 was so awkward. I wasn't a child anymore but I wasn't an adult - and I wanted to be both at once!
A good laugh is a sunshine in а house.
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