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| Photo by Mary Kling |
Summer
Heaven is the time of year
I savor the outdoors
read newspaper on the deck
early morning coffee in hand
recline and sway in the hammockI savor the outdoors
read newspaper on the deck
early morning coffee in hand
in the shade of a summer afternoon
tangy lemonade on table beside
surrounded by music with a beat
kneel among hostas and clematis
dig hands and fingers in the earth
keep the crab grass and clovers at bay
bike or walk dogs in the neighborhood
eat lunch and dinner outdoors
serenaded by a chorus of cardinals
observed by a doe and her fawn
inhale warm air deep and deeper still
with knowledge that summer is short
and the summers ahead
are fewer than those I have lived.
This was written for dVerse
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| Photo by Mary Kling |
i like all the little touches, the swaying in the hammock, lemonade, digging in the earth..summers are always way too short and we should never take them for granted..
ReplyDeleteAdd a run to this and this is my day, today, exactly. sigh...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Mary. perfect summer day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like some pretty ideal days to me. Love seeing the doe and her fawn. That would make it a perfect walk and day to me.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem Mary.
Oh dear - that is very sobering for me anyway and may be why I am so nostalgic about summer. k.
ReplyDeleteoh now why did you have to go and bring up how many we had left...smiles....i love the hammock and some lemonade...mm hmm....smiles...fall is my fav though...the crisp air...still like to eat on the porch then....
ReplyDeleteBeing outdoors is my favorite part of summer also! I especially love the morning coffee and newspaper on the deck!
ReplyDeleteSo nice- absolutely packed full of positivity - a great capture of summers pleasures! But I really liked the end- because it says to me- 'live your life' because you can't get the time back- completely uplifting
ReplyDeleteWe in our part of the world experience summer throughout the year. How we love floating snow flakes for a change! Beautiful write, Mary!
ReplyDeleteHank
Sounds wonderful, Mary. I especially like the 4th stanza.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is so soothing... Made me wish I had a hammock to swing in a fragrant garden. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSounds just wonderful, I am trying to think of a short summer... we always have long hot summers, very short winters. But ahhh that tangy lemonade, that's universally summer.
ReplyDeleteThose final lines packed a punch, Mary. And it's so true...a good reminder to enjoy the now!
ReplyDeleteJust a nice day of relaxing and enjoyment, hopefully there are still many more summers.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, Mary, especially the second. Sounds like the perfect summer day. I love clover around my feet, but I could imagine how much better my summers might be with a hammock. Enjoy the rest of your sunny days. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Mary! I love summers too!
ReplyDeleteLove the feeling of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteI'd say I agree with all of that, but summers here in TX are so hot that I'm stuck indoors most of the time. I miss the summers & autumns up North.
beautiful how you ended it....nicely done...:)
ReplyDeleteLove your description of your summer..yes, there are few summers ahead for me than what I have lived.
ReplyDeleteMary, summer is an extra blessing for me - it gets me out of the house and into nature. We have a conservatory called Olbright Gardens here, compleat with an authentic Tibetan Buddhist temple, donated by a U.W. grad, who happened to be a princess. Just roaming around, smelling the flowers, holding hands with Lex... aaaah. You captured it beautifully here, and practically, as well, tracing your days. Peace, Amy
ReplyDeletehttp://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/08/19/sunburn-for-dverse/
A beautiful description of a perfect summer. I really like that last verse.
ReplyDeleteLove your descriptors of summer! With those and that deep thought at the end makes this good poetry!
ReplyDeletereally nice job Mary. Love that you mentioned the length of the summers in here. Just got done reading Claudia's and she referenced the notion similarly. Is something I've always felt, and after reading tonight, It was one of those moments where you're like, "geez, I really wish i used that idea as well"
ReplyDeleteAnother neat thing, is I just took a picture of a cardinal the other day, was rare to see here, just sitting in a bush in front of my house. Too bad it didn't sing though, would've been neat. Great read. Thanks
I get bummed out immediately after solstice...I hate when summer ends...
ReplyDeleteWish we still had the summer. Now rains and thunderstorms dominate our climate here. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteLove your bike, and the inviting bike lane you show us. Our summer only lasted a total of 8 days since may :-)
ReplyDeletesimple yet enticing, what more anybody wants from a good poetry? Loved your poem....check out mine too on http://sayantini-bhattacharya.blogspot.in
ReplyDeleteOwch! For me the last two lines were a bit too close for comfort. I got a strong dose of nostalgia from this - and that's meant as a compliment.
ReplyDeleteSome nice thoughts. Some sobering thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBoth well captured.
It feels like Summer has arrived here in the South already with our temps at 30C (86F). Our Summers are long, and I'm grateful to have these lovely days back again.
ReplyDeleteAh Mary - of course there is never any way of knowing how a poem will touch a particular reader.. Yours in lovely in and of itself -but it did touch so many personal chords - "hostas, clematis and cardinals" all symbols of summer of my father and a long ago hot steamy August when for eleven days and nights we waited while he waited to leave forever - long before his time - yet long after we had always expected - Thank you for this poem and this connection :)
ReplyDeleteOnly wish we had those summers, perhaps we still and the problem is that we want Italian weather every day and forget that summer is what you make it!
ReplyDeleteBittersweet. Like summers end.
ReplyDeleteHow beautifully you live summer, relaxed and relishing the good weather and nature. Nice poem.
ReplyDeleteI was reading along, drinking my coffee, nodding happily at all you images and then I reached the last line. So sobering. So true.
ReplyDeleteA sweet summer serenade full of images that feel so comfortable
ReplyDeleteLovely, but the last lines brought me up with a jolt...
ReplyDelete"with knowledge that summer is short
and the summers ahead
are fewer than those I have lived."
that's me! Yikes...Great write.
Lovely...great write, like the imagery. But your last lines brought me up short..
ReplyDelete"with knowledge that summer is short
and the summers ahead
are fewer than those I have lived."
Yikes, that's me!
I am coming up as anonymous when I try to post comments, but I am Sue Judd...
Beautiful..certainly something to savour and enjoy..and your parting lines reminds us how brief and what a treasure good things are..jae
ReplyDelete"...Inhale warm air deep and deeper still." That is summer. You jerked me up short with that last line, though. It is too true. Most effective.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
reminds me of when we were at Indiana University, Bloomington and there were summer jazz concerts in the park
ReplyDeletestreet rubbish
I loved this piece--it is so delicious and full of the sense of summer and I loved your ending--all the more to savor each one that comes along
ReplyDeleteI love that you are taking your own photos now, and good ones. I know how precious summer is to you - scarce resource. Ours in Texas tend to be too long, like your winters.
ReplyDeleteA nice picture. :-)
ReplyDeleteAhhhhh summer. It's almost over in my neck of the woods. To another year ... this was lovely
ReplyDeleteOh this is so lovely! You captured it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteOh this is so lovely! You captured it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI could see it all and loved the touches of nature...fawn and doe..fingers in the dirt. I hadn't thought of that either...I'm sure I have fewer summers left to enjoy.. A lovely posting and enjoyed your photos too.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely, and then so poignant as we come up against that fact: that the summers ahead are fewer than the ones we have lived. Definitely bittersweet.
ReplyDeletea lovely way to spend a day! yes, we must try to always remember to focus on the joys of the moment as it will all be gone too soon.
ReplyDeletelovely photographs, as well.
♥
It's an early summer morning here, and your poem just makes me want to get out of bed and go out in the sun. The last line, so poignant and beautiful, Mary! Hope you have a memorable summer! :)
ReplyDeleteOutdoor themes welcome.
ReplyDeleteCan smell the sun on the hammock.
so many wonderful summer images, most of which I can relate to.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how to savor the moment! Thanks for these beautiful words which show that we can feel a bit of heaven here on earth. :)
ReplyDeletebrilliant, i wrote about the summer today too. i love that last stanza, it really makes this piece special. x
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteYou have reminded me of how summers used to be. I have missed the once reliable months of outdoor freedom and relaxation. A rather poor offering so far here in the Uk this year....
However Mary, the sun was shining in Ghent, Belgium during my weekend visit to see Leonard Cohen at an outdoor concert. It was heaven to be in his presence and to have such a balmy evening of real summer enjoyment:)
Eileen