A haven is close to
heaven, close to having.
Its etymology is harbor,
from old Norse, though the figurative refuge it offers is more recent, from
about 1200.
I’m not immediately
interested in the big havens, like the offshore islands that are tax havens, or
the safe haven that could be won by knocking on the sanctuary door, as at
Durham Cathedral; but I depend on many small. Always, havens of quiet—hushed groves, noise-cancelling
headphones, rare manuscript rooms in old libraries where one can use only a
pencil. Havens of color, like the
Bonnard gallery upstairs at The Phillips Gallery, or the Old Mexico Shop in
Santa Fe, with painted pottery as big and round as hugs and smoky paper flowers in exotic, vibrant
shades. And in this chilly January
month, havens of warmth—the fireside at Asilomar, a china teacup, a patch of
afternoon sunlight along a harboring wall, and one carefully heated room in our
cottage, the rest colder than the outdoors, door shut and guarded vigilantly as
a refuge of another sort, to keep the cold from rushing violently in.
Havens of laughter. Havens of lucky love. Havens of every sort, holding us tight.
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” —Maya Angelou
i don't know if there is a novel in you. i know you are working on one.
ReplyDeletebut i know one thing. nobody. and i mean nobody can describe the most mundane things the way you do and make them seem enchanting.
i quit commenting awhile back because it kept going back to a couple sitting back to back. i might have been doing something wrong though.
maybe a subtle tekki reminder that my comments are always too darn long. LOL!
happy new year dear wordsmith!
You are so sweet, Tammy—thank you, thank you. I've got three or four novels going, and would love to get at least one of them out in the world this year. (My new year's resolution is to keep my new year's resolutions!) I have problems making comments on some sites, too; I'm definitely technologically challenged. But I'm so thankful this comment got successfully posted. Happiest new year to you too!
ReplyDelete