That Moment When Summer Arrives,
Whether or not the Solstice Has Occurred
The peonies are blown.
Rain knocked the petals off
the last poppy
and laid the daisies down on the lawn.
The first fireflies
sparkle the humid night.
You can smell
the grass growing.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Jone has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Check it Out.
The call for roundup hosts July-December went up yesterday. You can find it here.
I have often thought that June 21st really is not the first day of summer. On Tuesday night, we had a hard rain. On Wednesday, when I walked the dog, there were poppy petals all over the sidewalk. They looked like butterfly wings. I love this.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, with wonderful signs that summer has indeed arrived on your side of the world.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Mary Lee. No fireflies here :( but plenty of humidity! Your experience of summer makes me go ahhhh.
ReplyDeleteOooh... lovely! I don't know which is my favourite - but I think it might just be that broken poppy petal line. Or is is the daisies laid out on the lawn?
ReplyDeleteYour poem is lovely, Mary Lee. I was worried a heavy rain would ruin my iris earlier in the week, but they came through. Still looking forward to the first fireflies.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful moment to capture. Love it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA lovely look at rain! Fortunately, we aren't experiencing the same sort of rain they're getting this week in France!
ReplyDeleteLove the great images in your poem, the energy and spark! Summer's here!
ReplyDeleteStill spring here, with a roller coaster ride of high and low temperatures. The peonies are still shy and tightly bound.
ReplyDeleteOoh, you get fireflies, that's right. I still think they're so magical... and I even kind of like the cicadas. But, not so much. Still, feels like summer just sprung fully formed this weekend, too.
ReplyDeleteYes! Mowed grass and fireflies...summertime is here.
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteI went outside after the rain today and definitely smelled the grass growing. Summer is here in South Louisiana.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely poem! I tried to pick a favorite line, but couldn't. Peonies, poppies, daisies, and fireflies. The stuff of a magical summer! And that final line--smelling the grass growing...Ahhhh....Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYes! I can relate to all these things except the fireflies. (I've never see one!--that's on my bucket list.) Even our morning walks are starting to smell like summer!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I love these photos and poem so much that I think it will be a great ending to Spring's Seeds Gallery. May I capture it from you?
ReplyDeleteOh, those fireflies sparkling the night--gorgeous, Mary Lee!
ReplyDeleteLove the imagery in this poem, Mary Lee, especially the poppy petals knocked to the ground by the hard rain. I can see (and smell) that! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem, Mary Lee. I loved "You can smell the grass growing." I think you're right!
ReplyDeleteThis definitely smells like summer, Mary Lee - although around here, the peonies haven't yet popped open. But any day now!
ReplyDeleteThat moment...beautifully captured, Mary Lee. =)
ReplyDeleteI was JUST thinking about this yesterday--the fireflies are out and we are supposed to top 97 degrees in SC by the weekend. But it is not technically "summer" yet?? Your poem captures this moment perfectly!
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