Summer's Lament

The freshness of Spring wanders so lonely through the heat
And then she passes to beyond the edge
A new face appears and calls on the others

"Rise up", she says, "And show all your goods."

"Rise up, I say....for the butterflies and the bees...
The hummingbirds and squirrels have emptied their cupboards....
They have come to visit your stores!"

And suddenly the old ones rise.....and take the stage.
The ones who return each midsummer and tempt the travelers
With exotic treats and perches to rest on

But slowly they pass.....they wither in the heat
The rains disappear and the earth separates as its skin parches to nothingness
And the weary travelers move on.....

"Come back", she cries. "We can offer more, if you wish!"
But her voice bounces off the barks of the trees....
And the withered petals of the old ones

And Summer slowly fades into Autumn.....
A time for rest...
Before the long, cold sleep......