Summer

summer evening –

headlights stutter

through the pasture fence

lilac shadows

scale the garden wall;

slip off into the woods

lonely evening –

pansies tremble

under the attic fan

he looks perplexed –

the scarecrow

chest deep in the river’s flood

sultry afternoon –

the tumult of rain

upon my umbrella

in the darkening yard,

the sun strikes

the cockscomb’s red

unlatched gate –

the goat eating

the scarecrow’s hat

we celebrate the equinox –

the sun remains

above it all

pale moon –

the sun-bleached bones

of a sparrow

whatever the weather,

his soft smile –

the buddha in the garden

boating the oars,

the moon floats

unperturbed

morning stiffness –

the scarecrow

wears my cowboy shirt

hillside boulders –

my folded hands

in meditation

in the lush grass lying –

just so, one day,

in my coffin

up from the sea,

glistening,

the moon

balmy night –

the full moon smeared

by the gauze of a cloud

halfway home

through the sorghum field,

it begins to rain

the creak of the swing

silences

the hot afternoon

the flood has lodged the moon

in the lower branches

of an oak

summer dusk –

the hollow taps
of a woodpecker

in the gloaming,

fireflies

switch on and off

grandpa’s fiddle –

to and fro,

the porch swing

lazy day –

the long rumble

of a small plane

clouds roam the blue –

the cornstalks

bend and whisper

the child on my shoulders

reaches

for the fireworks

a hat covers his face –

a picnicker

in the tree shade

hiking through town –

a woman in a swing

waves back

ripples of wind –

trees shush

the twittering birds

gas station;

I choose an Orange Crush –

the heat!

roadside table –

honeybees explore

a spilled cola

summer day –

an old man carves

his grandson a cane flute

picnic on the lawn –

a boy shows me

his broken kite

cut flowers

have withered

at the roadside cross

ah, the heat!

ants trek a joint

in the concrete drive

o sparrow, who cares for thee?

even the birders

seek rarities

vast blue sky

charted by the grid

of my window screen

she walks

the summer street

in and out of shadows

the old man

shares his lunch

with the sparrows

making the day hotter –

the rattle

of a timber snake

lonely night –

the owl in the woods

shifts steadily northward

 back home again –

the porch swing

weeps beneath me

national anthem –

beyond the scoreboard

a rising moon

summer’s end –

cumulous flowering

above the shorn fields

full moon –

even the dilapidated barn

looks majestic

fording the stream,

they take all day –

the tree shadows

housebound –

in the falling rain,

the sounds of a river

in the high meadow,

horses graze –

a day moon

making the day hotter –

the jangle

of an ice cream truck

clear summer nights –

the shifting of shadows

on the moon’s face

heavy downpour –

from the porch stepping

into the quiet

one light on –

a screen porch

floats in the midnight vale

rooftop party;

beyond the strung lights,

a summer moon

crossing together

pond and sky –

two moons

after the frog’s leap,

silence returns

to the old pond

a heavy fog

bends the willows,

grays the distant pines

summer twilight –

the scarecrow

chirruping!

young lovers in the rain –

when was the last time

I got soaked?

running ahead to the lake,

following me home –

my shadow

lonely evening –

a summer downpour

engulfs the house

sultry afternoon –

the distant thunder

makes me drowsy

grasping

at a dewdrop –

these bent fingers

day’s end –

the tree shadows are soft

on the old barn

high, thin clouds

smudge the fern shadows

on the garden wall

sidewalk cafe –

sharing a table

with a bottlefly

the moon under sail,

gazing back

upon a wake of stars

between Cassiopeia

and me –

fireworks!

a shingled beach –

the moon speaks

under my feet

at the feathery end

of a dream –

the crowing cock

wildwood twilight –

the lake absorbs

the rushing stream

lush garden;

a blue sky

in the birdbath

late summer –

the last of the sun

in a dangling poplar leaf

evening

has drained the color

from the pines

hot day –

the screen door’s

creak and slam

mild day –

tree shadows sweep

the garden path

rains have left

the river swollen –

a late summer moon

on a small rise

the summer green

studded with tombstones

fine brushstrokes –

pine needle shadows

on the garden wall

filling our senses –

a summer

city downpour

a footpath

through the paddock –

the smell of early dew

late summer –

seedpods rattle

on the mimosa

evening shadows –

the broken trail

of a firefly

blackbirds arranged

on the power lines –
the wind’s song

on the pine table –

assorted wildflowers

in a mason jar

unscathed, the moon

emerges

from a summer storm

beyond the fence,

a young horse
races with my automobile

 thick woods;
the sky
follows the river

abandoned house –  

the summer heat,

inside and out

 above the flood,

a dusty 
moon

absorbing the sunlight,

glowing in the dark -
fireflies

night and day,

the fireflies

on and off

lunch in the park –

tossing our leavings
to the fat ducks

late summer -

copper wishes collect

at the bottom of the well

to and fro,

the tractor chugs –

summer moon

  

summer day –

beyond the paper shades,

sparrows chirrup

 bream fishing –

a brief shower

roughens the lake

a thick woods;

the sound of rain

in the unseen river

taking its time –

the moon

to cross the river

boating the oars –

the pond whispers

in the light rain

here and there, fireflies;

this day, too,

has come to an end

midsummer night –

in the river current,

a misshapen moon

after
the thunderstorm,

lightning bugs 

through the window screen,

the cooling

sound of rain

in the feed shed –

the first rattle of rain

on the tin roof

lonely evening –

thunder

rattles the windows

after  

the thunderstorm,

lightning bugs

down to seeds and stems –

my bowl   

of sweet red cherries

abandoned farmstead;

winds ripple the grass

gone to seed 

twilight; 

deer saunter

onto the cool green glade

making hay; 

the green fragrance

of the shorn fields

along the fence,

a spring filly  

races my automobile






 

a light rain;

the marsh reeds   

whisper

the old man in his garden

leans on the hoe  

to catch his breath

along the meadow,

summer trees;  

differing shades of green

after the fireworks,

the littered field;

a summer moon 

onset of rain; 

the woodlands

begin to chatter

like game pieces –

hay bales scattered

in the shorn fields

cane pole fishing;

the rustle 

of poplar leaves

atop my empty

mailbox,   

a mockingbird

quiet night;

the pale heat  

of a summer moon

quiet afternoon;

biting into  

a red delicious

luring me outdoors,

the yellow flurry  

of a pine warbler

after a rain,

walking 

the steaming summer streets

at the alley’s end,

climbing – 

a summer moon

beach night;  

a satellite threading its way

through the stars

Saturday sleep in; 

the neighbor’s mower

refuses to crank 

gathering dusk;

the tossed ball,

a smudge of white

summer night; 

a scattering of lights

across the bay

morning trek;   

abandoning the thicket,

a lone thrush

 quiet night; 

just me and the hare  

in the moon

sunlit burial; 

a warbler sings

atop a nearby stone

morning walk; 

remnants of rain

in the tall grass

shimmering day; 

how cool it looks –

the woodland shade

from the embers

of a fiery day,  

the cool moon rises

amid the cicadas’ din,

the hooting

of an owl 

late summer;

the scent 

of sun-warmed pines

overnight mushrooms,

the colors 

of sunrise

sweltering August;

a trail through 

the house-high brambles

sparrow on a nearby twig

wading  

the distant stream

the approaching rain –

sound and scent

of coolness

all evening,

in waves –

the croaking frogs

dusk at last;  

almost palpable,

the summer air

westward, a hooting owl;

to the east, 

a mourning dove

twilight;  

the shadows

shrill with insects

end of summer;  

a field of kudzu

in the shape of a house

shimmering day;

the long rumble 

of an unseen jet

on a gossamer thread,

twirling, twirling –

a dead leaf