Summer in America-?
She IS America!
Her Independence
Day on the Fourth
of July.  Her beaches,
her mountains, her
green and gold waves
of grain.  Her lakes, her
rivers, her pools, her
parks. She is even more
beautiful when whipped
cream clouds float across
summer-blue sky.  To me,
her dandelions are every
bit as gorgeous as her  
roses,  her creeks as
mesmerizing as her caves.
And the perfume she
wears!  Wouldn't think
hot dogs and hamburgers
on a backyard grill would
complement honeysuckle,
and vice versa.    Sea salt,
Kool-aid, mint plucked from
a gsrden border, corn-on-the-
cob, just-right melons, yum!
Little sweat, assorted bugs,
sunshine children and pets
carry in from playgrounds
and yards.  So many different
flowers.  A shower sweetens
the air.  A storm waiting to
happen tastes a bit like copper
smells.  Add the thirst of all
those plants. Soil smells of
earthworms and a mysterious
something that is needed to
grow.  Gasoline has gone up,
so more of us are staying
close to home.   Have I
mentioned the natural feel
of Home, come summer?  Joy
of cooling off in a wading
pool or under a garden
hose?  Haul the fan down
from the attic. . .ahhhhhh.
Have I mention how it feels
to rare back in a rickety
web-backed chair and breathe
in a star-and-firefly-lit night?
So many riches, so little
time.  Nothing like an old-
fashioned summer to help
us see just how rich we are.

(c)  Phyllis Jean Green,  June, 2009