Saturday, June 11, 2011

Summer Waits (a poem)

Summer is taking her own sweet time to appear here on the edges of the Rockies. Rain falls today. Apple blossom petals that never truly burst forth into magical frothy wonder, fall. The long grass, the grass that was cut only a week ago, catches each snowy white blossom blanketing the yard like snow in winter.

This poem is the poem I posted (or attempted to post) on Wednesday. Yet, in waiting to post it (again) it is no longer the poem I posted on Wednesday. It has changed. Like the weather. Like the seasons. Like life. It has had time to settle, to evolve, to grow.

We are looking for heat here on the prairies. Waiting for summer to appear. And while I know it cannot stay away forever, it sure feels like it might as rain falls and apple blossoms drift to the ground.

Summer Waits

I lay dreaming,
dreaming
of that place
where summer’s
supple heat
embraces
me
and I fall
head first
into love
rioting in a garden of colour.

Summer is hiding,
hiding
somewhere
at the edge
of spring
lingering
in frosty memory
where winter
clings to naked boughs
and fields
lay
fallow
beneath a woolen blanket.

In my dream,
summer bursts
full bloom
body ripened
fecund
lush
flowering
and I run
naked
hot
body
labored
breathing
gasping
for air
beneath the heat
of summer’s
searing gaze.

Summer waits
and I wait for her.

7 comments:

Maureen said...

So glad you were able to find the lost poem and post it.

"... love / rioting in a garden of colour": lovely, as is "... fields ... beneath a woolen blanket".

We've been having 100-degree days and it's still officially spring. What did we do before air conditioning? Probably thought of snow.

Louise Gallagher said...

Thanks Maureen -- I noted your comment of 100 degrees on Diane's blog and thought... oh my... 100 degrees!

We're struggling to get into the double digits (Celsius).

Josie Two Shoes said...

Beautiful! Evoking memories of the magical summers of my childhood, with lush green grass to cushion our bare feet, flowers blooming, and sunlight dancing off the lake. Here in Texas summer is hot, brown, and dry. Temps for the coming week are expected to be over 100 every day. Far too hot to enjoy summer's beauty until near nightfall, though summmer nights under a huge canopy of stars have a beauty of their own!

Anonymous said...

i like the change of poems...
especially into summer

Louise Gallagher said...

Hi Josie! 100 degrees in Texas as well -- oh my -- that is hot!

Here, it is a balmy 65 today -- and for now, the skies have cleared.

I love your description of summer. Makes me want to run barefoot in the grass or naked under the stars! :) Ok -- well maybe not naked...

Louise Gallagher said...

Nance -- and I love how you weave your response into a poem that continues the poem.

Lovely!

trisha said...

is it summer there yet?

the poem is beautiful. we are getting grilled so..... we wait for winter like that.

love.