Summer Is: A poem in prose

The beginning of summer is…

...licking ice cream cones and forgetting about school,

…going to the park and staying up late,

…listening to meadowlarks and hearing morning doves,

…planning family picnics, hitting home-runs.

…Splitting twin-pops and stopping for Kool Aid,

…eating plums and tasting rain,

...filling the pool and painting the barn,

…putting up wind chimes, hanging out laundry.

...Catching rays and pulling weeds.

...exploring new places and leaving the rest behind.

Those dog days of summer are for…

...watching kids chase fireflies and seeing corn grow,

...finding shade and losing weight,

…riding waves and floating boats,

…taking off shorts, putting on swimsuits.

…Wading to your waist and wanting to go farther,

…building tree houses and taking down tents,

…putting on sunscreen and putting off tomorrow,

…roasting marshmallows, buttering corn.

…Going to street dances and returning from vacations,

…losing your grip and finding your soul.

Oh, yes, these sweet hot months mean…

…diving deeper and coming up for air,

…watching flowers bloom and waiting for fruit to ripen,

…picking mulberries and pitting cherries,

...wearing madras, donning seersucker.

…Carrying straw purses and sporting summer hats,

…riding with the top down and turning the radio up,

…striking up the band and putting off the blues,

… jumping at thunderclaps, awing at lightning strikes.

…Hearing cicadas and listening to frogs,

…living your dreams and letting go of your sorrows.

End of summer is…

…needing more and realizing there's a limit,

…knowing seasons change and feeling a chill,

…seeing birds fly south and noticing turning leaves,

…bidding summer goodbye, wishing it wouldn't go.　

2010 © Copyright Paula Damon. A resident of Southeast South Dakota, Paula Damon is a national and state award-winning columnist. Her columns have won first-place in National Federation of Press Women, South Dakota Press Women and Iowa Press Women Communications Contests. In the 2009 and 2010 South Dakota Press Women Communications Contest, Paula's columns took first-place awards statewide. To contact Paula, email pauladamon@iw.net, follow her blog at www.my-story-your-story.blogspot.com and find her on Facebook.