As summer approaches....
When the birds call out before dawn
and dawn arrives before 5,
this time I covet.
When flowers vie for space
showing off their wild colors,
when geese, ducks and turkeys walk,
their obedient babes toddling behind them in a row,
this is a time I covet.
When the leaves blow upwards
and popcorn clouds hopscotch through the sky
and thunder rumbles in the late afternoon,
this is a time I covet.
When people amble down our street in their swimsuits,
towels 'round their waists,
their wet hair plastered to their heads,
this is a time I covet.
When the peas yield their fruit
and the grapes are as small as pinheads,
and the Queen Anne’s Lace rises delicate
as slender green threads,
and the peonies pop
and the dogs bake in the sun
and mother birds chirp
and the bees buzz
and the last school bell rings,
this is the time I covet.
When children ride their bikes through town
and the Red Sox score is announced each morning.
When ice cream drips from cones,
when steam rises from the blacktop after the rains,
when the days seem to last forever,
this is the time that I covet.
When the garden constantly,
softly beckons,
when sandals are worn
and the winter jackets are
finally,
finally
stuffed in the closet,
this is the time that I covet.
When the evening air is poetry,
when the breeze is symphonic
and the night is blue velvet
This is the time I covet.
Please let time slow down.
Let the hours forget that they must pass,
if only for a little while,
and if the hours don’t indulge my whimsy,
let my heart always be full
of
June,
July
and August.
