Summer is full of action, beach parties, poolside barbecues, late night affairs that end at sunrise and special occasions providing perfect excuses to do things we might not normally do because, “Summer!” We brush aside the guilt, the second thoughts, the regrets and uh-oh’s, for later, for a time when things aren’t so sizzling hot.
And our cheeks are still flushed, our arms still glowing from summer heat when we wake up on a crisp morning and feel that things are different. We wrap ourselves in the blanket we’ve been sleeping on top of since June and try to grab a bit more sleep because the sun – even the sun! – is hungover too and isn’t exactly up yet.
That is how we know the time has come.
The Autumnal Equinox, when day and night are equal. When Reason drifts in coolly through the open window to hush our demons and the only semblance of fire is the flaming orange of fallen leaves and stacked boxes of Pumpkin Cheerios at the grocery store.
Fall has arrived, and with it comes a delicious, necessary sense of reflection and reckoning. For some it is a time to atone and promise to be better. For others it is time to go back to school with clean books, blank pages and a fresh start. And for certain orange goblins and drunken ghouls it may even be a time for hammer of Justice to drive a final nail (or two) in their coffins.
But for us literary types, it is a time to slip on our coziest sweaters, find our favorite chairs by our favorite windows and read some fun, odd, creepy but always thought-provoking words: stories, poems, essays – whatever helps to cool us down, lean into the season and ponder our own flaws, foibles and fantasies. Reflection and reckoning.
When you click to enjoy the amazing stories by these talented writers, take a minute to check out their bio’s in our “About the Artists” link: https://thievingmagpie.org/category/current-parliament/about-the-artists/ Some are established, experienced writers, but many are new and emerging voices with “day jobs” and aspirations just like the rest of us. They are true Artist-Citizens and we celebrate them in our Fall 2023 Issue 23. Check us out on your favorite reader: www.thievingmagpie.org