A sanctuary
my own space
always room
no matter how small
comfy inside
with windows bright
here is where I find myself
and lose the world
please come in
and have a seat
in my heart
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atrium a·tri·um (ā'trē-əm)
n. pl. a·tri·ums or a·tri·a (ā'trē-ə)
- A chamber or cavity to which several chambers or passageways are connected.
- Either the right or the left upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle.
From Latin atrium "central court or main room of an ancient Roman house, room which contains the hearth," sometimes said to be an Etruscan word, but perhaps from *ater- "fire," on notion of “place where smoke from the hearth escapes”[1]
When we invite people into our place and tell them to make themselves at home, what do we really mean? We don’t expect our guests to march into the bedroom or to start opening drawers and closets or to help themselves to the contents of the fridge. So how welcoming and accepting are we?
Similarly, even with good friends and our Beloveds, we do not open all the closets in our mind and share all our hidden compartments. Most of us lead a fragmented life, we may tell some things to one, but not another. We need to keep track on what we shared with whom. There are certain things we do not dare to share with anyone and we open these secret boxes in our mind only when we are alone and no one is watching.
How liberating is it then if you can be close with someone with whom you dare to share everything. Someone you can lock eyes with and let him or her look straight into your soul, no more secrets to hide, no expectations and no judgements. The space you then share is both intimate and small (i.e. personal), as well as uncovered and wide (i.e. openness). Tearing down the walls together, to obtain a brighter perspective from which to view the world, seeing yourself reflected in equal eyes, like opposite mirrors, bouncing the light endlessly. This is your atrium where you open your heart and let the smoke escape that obscures your soul.
Tjen Photography - Beijing, 2004
Tjen Photography - Frans Hals museum Haarlem, 2017
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[1] Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 5 Nov. 2017.