Sunday, September 19, 2021

COUNTRY SUMMER

 Writers' Pantry #87  Summer is winding down in my world.  I've written an homage to country summers as I recall them.  I really think they haven't changed a good deal over the years!  Submitted to Poets & Stoytellers United, September 19, 2021.


COUNTRY SUMMER


                                                            Unforgiving heat and humidity

                                                            steals your breath and

                                                            leaves you without energy

                                                            like an inert dryad 

                                                            clinging to an autumn leaf


                                                            Ears hang heavy on the cornstalks

                                                            tomatoes, plump and red in the garden

                                                            magenta grapes cluster on the vine

                                                            pumpkins destined for jack-o-lanterns

                                                            dot fields awaiting hopeful children.


                                                             Cattle group under shade trees

                                                            or stand in streams for relief

                                                            birds begin to gather for migration

                                                            in obsidian rows on phone lines, or

                                                            flying in undulating formations


                                                            Farmers prepare for harvest

                                                            their tractors join country traffic

                                                            and roads become a parade

                                                            in familiar processions accepted

                                                             by summer travelers


                                                            Thunderstorms and lightning

                                                            make way for picnics and watermelon

                                                            county fairs and festivals

                                                            family reunions and church suppers

                                                            It’s summer in the country


15 comments:

  1. i loved the rhymes and the snippets of imagery of each stanza.
    summer seems like a lazy time, yet it is time to prepare to reap the rewards of all that hard labor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautifully conjured Beverly - the following stanza caught me especially:

    " Cattle group under shade trees

    or stand in streams for relief

    birds begin to gather for migration

    in obsidian rows on phone lines, or

    flying in undulating formations

    - So redolent...

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a beautiful homage to country summers, Bev. You are correct, they haven't changed much, at least in my world. This past summer in the country was almost as you've captured in your poem. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. An inert dryad clinging to an autumn leaf describes my attitude of this summer very well. I'm glad cooler weather is setting in. We have serious drought conditions where I live. It hardly rained all summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So sorry. I know drought conditions are becoming critical in certain western areas.

      Delete
  5. Summer is such a delicious time: the scents, the tastes, the sounds, the sights, and the people. I love the points your poem makes about community. I miss that... about country-living.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It gets very hot here in Kansas. The Canada geese and the ducks seek out the tree in the park that provides the most shade and hide under it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You've described the winding down around here perfectly! Absolutely down to the birds on a wire, swooping in flocks, gathering steam. I enjoyed this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know firsthand and appreciate all the images of summer you've shared here, Beverly. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love all these rich details. I now live in a small town. While it's in the middle of a rural district, it's not quite the same as being right in the country myself. But I did live in the country for some years, when younger, and you could be talking about country Australia.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stunning imagery. This was so well structured

    ReplyDelete
  11. Summers are hot and sweaty, autumns are the best. You reminded me of stacking straw behind the thrashing machine, Dad had me doing that in the hot. My BDay is at the end of October (30) so fall is running away time for me. Since we have married Mrs. Jim always runs with me.
    Barely There Barry? I had trouble fitting him in, the second time you read it you saw my feeble attempt. He might deserve his own write.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  12. I especially like that last stanza. So nostalgically memorable.

    ReplyDelete
  13. If I did not know better I would swear we were raised together!! Love this, Bev!

    ReplyDelete