m e l i s s i m a.

Calm Me Down, Kissless.»

It always gets to me; the transitional period between seasons that always makes dimmer my smile, and leaves me with that uncomfortable feeling of wearing slightly oversized socks. My body can feel it… that it’s almost time to go back.

The sun becomes less playful, the ocean waves more rough, and the warmth of my summer love story begins to feel chillier in its approach. I find myself in a daze more times that I’d prefer, over-thinking the simplest of things and feeling uneasy for a while. (All of such, usually entirely unnecessarily, of course. But impossible to ignore.)

And all I want is for you to calm me down…kissless.

“Don’t you love New York City in the fall? Makes me wanna buy school supplies.” I look forward to this line every year, and to that Cranberries song playing in the background… Imagining Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks walking to work as utter strangers, completely in Love with one another. But school supply shopping is a chore where I live, and Cosmopolitan Love, much too cumbersome to bother with. In Europe, such is all nonsense that gets in the way of a mid-day caffè. School supply shopping was special when I was growing up… The smell of fresh notebook paper, the smoothness of a ballpoint pen; all foreign pleasures now. Things change. And then I miss them…I miss them a lot.

Just the thought of disappearing into the clouds of an August afternoon…of going back…kissless.

The colors of New England leaves, the crisp air at football games, carving pumpkins…lighting scented candles in the backyard on Sunday school nights, cuddling under plaid patterned blankets to stay warm. N o s t a l g i a. 

I’m going to start counting my Septembers.