LAST

The last days of summer
picking berries from the hedge
and the morning dew
soaking through our shoes

in the pie we could taste
both warmth and rain
and imagine the fields
- ever-changing views

now grass is cut low
it’s easy to walk free
on the smooth or stubble,
first leaves from the gale

we heard a young man
was lost at sea
saving some friends
who never learned to sail

these nights are almost
frosty, but we keep
the heating off, it’s not
even September !

and we’ve stacked
no wood in the garage
that might become
tomorrow’s cheerful ember

life will seem more normal
when the kids go back
chained to their desks
and struggling to spell

talking very fast
about wanting a Wii
and summer abroad
on holidays from hell

the village will be
silent through the day
apart from playtime voices
riding the autumn breeze

it will be just
the natural world
- exquisite colours,
before the big freeze



Note: Wii is an electronic gaming platform