First Frost
First frost must be one of the most evocative events in the seasonal cycle, and yet, one of the most under-appreciated. Too unpredictable to be celebrated with a festival, and too short to get the worship of cherry blossoms, it nevertheless deserves observance, for it lifts the soul in uncanny directions and pleases beyond its odds.
We might think of it as thanatos, an unlikely, perverse, joy, but here it is, wrapped in spices and the joyous chill of an indrawn breath in the dark before dawn. Instead of celebrating death, it takes the comforting rot of the fall and crystalizes it, distils it to bring forth all the hidden days spent pulling your feet from the cold floor to eat buttered toast on the sofa, or being mulled in greatcoats around a fire. It is the gateway that breaks open winter, that reminds you civilisation is most pleasant when there's a indication of what it is up against; that the wolf is just outside the door.
13 Sept 2024