Finishing the swim,
We dry off in the cold breeze—
Summer vacation.
Mud trails make this path.
Each year, they become wider.
Summer afternoon.
The turtle looks up.
Water collars its black neck
In the drying pond.
Walking in the woods
And briars cutting your legs—
A hot summer hike.
In summer moonlight
The humidity swelters.
Sweating by starlight.
The humid morning:
Before I wake, I’m sweating.
Thank you, summer dawn.
The perching buzzard
Heat waves can’t hide the carcass
From its patient stare.
The pool house bathroom.
A spider interrupts me.
Now, quick decision.
The dog’s blurred legs dig.
Dead grass flies in clumps of dirt.
Here comes the dust cloud.
First day of summer,
I only think about the
Last day of summer.
