A Summer Swansong Before Summer
Just before the summer of 2023 begins, let’s imagine it dead for a few minutes. It’s really not that bad.
Time’s up for summer! And here is your song to bid farewell. We tried to be optimistic. After all, and in spite of your rage, a leaving summer is the best summer. People from the North are obsessed with it. People from the south could not care less.
It has been months of getting on a plane with your husband and kids, then breaking melting asphalt near the Mediterranean, just walking, just keep on walking until you reach the sand. Sunglasses, suntan, then staring at the sea for hours, occasionally sharing a quick chat with the family and completely ignoring others.
Then time for a J.K. Rowling novel and eating your hours being so democratic and civilized. Skins getting thicker, kids getting darker and more obese, and dialogues draining. Then lunch time. Then read some more and ignore all others. Then taking a quick glimpse at other people around you with sunglasses and husbands and beach balls and kids and sand buckets, who also happen to be completely ignoring your presence. You do not need them. Your children are full. You have a Rowling in your hand and even if that is over there is A Song of Ice and Fire.
Your husband has many apps. Your children are on Snapchat and connected. The beach restaurant has Wi-fi. You are Instagramming all this. You are putting things on Instagram, you don’t fucking need those people in real life! They probably have their own Instagram stories to curate. You people just don’t need each other. It’s not 2005 anymore.
Lunch is done but walking ain’t. So you walk the entire La Rambla. There are people walking with you. Ignore them! You are with your family and you are so democratic and you are so European. You are so democratic you may even stand and stare at a little girl being kidnapped in front of your eyes because it was her own choice and the kidnapper’s choice and one should respect that.
You get back home. But you have saved a lot of days. So you book the next one. And you are all so white but so tanned but so post-post-everything. You book after you book after you book until the time’s up for summer. So you have to sit behind your desk for a few weeks to come. Then ski season is here!
It is with immense pleasure to announce the death of popsicles season 2023. We can now go back to our deathly post-apocalyptic shell once more. Things are gonna sound even more relevant now.
