I see you’ve decided to join us finally. We welcome your sunny caresses, your invitation to dive into your cool waters, and your willingness to host us foolish children. This morning has been spent sitting indoors, listening to the twitter of birds, the shhhh of cars passing by, the swoosh of the breeze and the ring of voices out enjoying your bounty. Soon this will change. I have new dresses begging to be worn all over town. I can almost feel the swish swish swish of loose fabric around my legs, the breeze lifting my skirt just a little, the sunshine warming my shoulders and my hair.
You beg me to rent a little canoe and a paddle and join you in the lake. I’m at your level, I can see the shores rising away from me as if I’m held in your arms. When I find my little backwater creek and am separated from everyone else by a screen of reeds and branches we are alone. I can see you smiling with me, pleased that I enjoy the party you host just for me. I share my noonday snack with the ducks that follow me, trusting that there will be food and not harm from their fellow creature.
I love you, Seattle. I hate you, sometimes, when the wind blows and the rain finds its way under my clothes and into my shoes. I want to stay inside and avoid you for days at a time when you behave that way but now, with your gentle caresses and your pleasant smile, I love you and I like you.