ad astra

the early summer air smells sweet again, which means it's time for yearning. and my song of choice this summer is like a star by corinne bailey rae. 

it's a straightforward song, but simplicity can be where the deepest thoughts and feelings emerge, right?

the singer describes their lover as all manner of beautiful and nurturing things, contemplating how they came to love the other. how their love works, trying to describe all the feelings that have come together in knots and tangles. and the particular objects the singer uses to describe their lover-- a star in the sky, an angel, a song in their heart, oil on their hands... i love how it gradually gets closer to them. it shows how their relationship has changed, how they've grown closer, and how their love has become a part of everyday life. it's no longer a rarity that may only be witnessed at a certain time in the night sky. 

my favorite background moments are when the bassline drifts in, gentle, yet grounding. it reminds me of those moments where one realizes they really love someone-- it's real, and here. in the world, and in you. that truth changes everything, doesn't it?

i just love this song so much, WAAAAAAAA ㅠㅠ it's so warm and poetic. (feel free to listen to it here, ehehe.)

it's only a little bit related, but. lately, when i imagine romantic confessions and other gentle scenes for my stories, there's been a metaphor that keeps popping into my head: one is a star, the center of a faraway galaxy, while the other is an observer back here on earth. maybe an astronomer, who has dedicated their life to studying the star. it's not a well fleshed-out metaphor, but i'd always imagine the one who observes them to state that, as a way to describe the distance they feel between them. how they feel like that the only way to love the star-person is from so far away, lest the potential burn them (ruin their already existing relationship).

and then the star-person is like, "but what if... the star was only a home they created, to keep themselves safe and others warm, that ended up being a prison? the star itself (supposed to reference their outside persona) in the galaxy doesn't need the soul inside to operate itself any longer." maybe the soul within is scared, scared of being vulnerable, scared of what may happen if they shed that persona. but the observer below-- it's like they see right through them, and it drives them to be braver and come down to earth to be with them.

sounds like a fairy tale now that i think about it, haha. i think it would be a cute confession.