An August Afternoon
Scented green,
in late summer heat
(surprising this
late in the season),
a canopy
of stenciled sky
dancing upon overgrown grass
lush with the smell
of moist loam
(I compost and water my weeds).
I contemplate the wildness
of overgrown ivy,
blackberry brambles
(who planted this)
(were they crazy),
knowing that in nine months
all of this
must be cut back
to nub.
But the bees list,
drunken with pollen
by flowering mint
(who knew it flowered),
and I know
that overnight
brambles
will creep
a little further
(I just don’t care today).
Instead, I pour a glass of tea
and settle,
stenciled sky pouring through,
dancing a jig on my book,
and pass
this last
afternoon of August.
copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt. Please do not copy or use without the express written permission of the author.