Page 44 of The Secret to Belonging

a poet

a sage

a marvel

you lift the mail to your nose and inhale

you smell cigarettes and vino and courage

when Lise asks if she can keep the stamps for her

collection, you surprise her with a hug and a kiss

impossibly, the luxurious days

grow even longer

the sun hovers and bounces

in a twenty-four-hour circle on the horizon

Bjørn mows the lawn at midnight

neighbors weed gardens, walk dogs

vi kaster ikke bort sollys, says Elinor

we don’t waste sunlight

Lise and Erik lead you through

town on bicycles

point out landmarks and shout

postkontor (post office)

bokhandel (bookstore)

bibliotek (library)

you make mental maps

of the streets and the words

the act of balancing on two wheels

an apt metaphor

for the act of balancing

between civilizations

you accompany Bjørn to the harbor

to buy fish for the day’s middag meal

he runs into many friends