RattleBag and Rhubarb

On the Border: The Odd Uneven Time of August

“I love borders. August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know. Twilight is the border between day and night, and the shore is the border between sea and land. The border is longing: when both have fallen in love but still haven’t said anything. The border is to be on the way.…

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RattleBag and Rhubarb

Danger comes: Tove Jansson and The Island

The second half of: “The Island,”  by Tove Jansson. Part one is here. It’s a rickety structure, one pays for it with fear of darkness and sudden panic—a stirring in the dark, a boat on the horizon. But during the weekdays, with their calmly repetitive and efficient chores, the protective barrier grows taller and firmer. Pull the boat out of…

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RattleBag and Rhubarb

Dreams become simpler: Tove Jansson and The Island

The IslandFrom: “The Island” by Tove Jansson There is a surprisingly large number of people who go around dreaming about an island.Sometimes deliberate people look for their island and conquer it, and sometimes the dream of the island can be a passive symbol for what is one step beyond reach. The island—at last, privacy, remoteness, intimacy, a rounded whole without…

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