Satin sails cerulean

Through windswept waterways

Fingerpainting celestine;

White cotton cloud chalets

Strokes on endless canvas;

Brushed with poplar and pine needles

Stippled golden rays, cast,

Pierce the scene as though sky’s steeple

Rain bleeds color’s rainbow

Tears stream; monsoon’s sunset

Backlighting evening’s slideshow

Prisms mix the tint’s palette

June conducts the chorus

Beetles tap dance wooden floors

Cicadas echo forest's

Summer iridescent score

i don’t know if you remember,

but these windows were open once,

letting in a dancing breeze

chasing away the heat

wildflowers sat between the steps:

steps, on which we ran

up and down, for days at a time,

and we were barefoot as we ran

frizzy hair, like burning flames,

kissed by sunshine, golden light

lunchtimes on picnic blankets,

and trees like cathedrals above us

and rainy nights, outside the windows,

stars, barely visible, through the clouds

moonlight streaming through

this open window, where we sat,

dreaming of what was to come

o, sweet nostalgia, remind me again

of songs we used to sing to sleep,

raindrops’ steady, beating rhythm

and i don’t know if you remember,

but we were children once,

in the youthful summers, humid days,

in a hazy, mindless, dreamlike state.

I think the heat of summer is having an unexpected effect this year.

There is something sinister, dare I say evil, happening in the animal kingdom. It may not have reached you yet, but I have no doubt that it’s spreading.

Animals are committing suicide.

I kid you not. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. What animal doesn’t have the survival instinct? What animal, besides the stereotypical deer in the headlight, doesn’t run or fly in the face of vehicular traffic?

Apparently, every animal in my neighborhood.

Now, don’t confuse the will to die with the incredibly stupid. We’re all used to the waddling woodchuck, the not so fleet of foot squirrel, the I-need-to-fumigate-my-car skunk, the oh-no-don’t-tell-the-kids I killed Alvin the Chipmunk, Bambi or the Easter Bunny. But all of these animals scurry in fear for their lives. They try to get out of the way.

They just suck at it.

What I’m talking about is beyond comprehension. I’m talking about animals playing chicken with cars. And losing.

Case in point. In my own driveway, I have had robins, squirrels, deer and bunnies stare me down as I pull in to park. (Woodchucks still try to waddle away although it’s as often towards me as it is away...) But these other crazies don’t move. I honk. They stare. Now, to be truthful, they win. I have no desire for roadkill in my own garden. But is this normal? Shouldn’t they be afraid of loud human in a car?

It gets worse.

I was driving down the highway the other day and there was a goose walking across the road. He wasn’t leading a family of goslings. This, I might have understood. Happens all the time on local streets (although I have never seen it on a highway). No, this was a lone goose traversing from the center median across the left lane, through the middle. That’s where I lost him in my rearview mirror as I was screaming fly you idiot, fly!! He may or may not have survived. I do know there were no geese flying in my mirror.

Then there was the turtledove, sitting in the middle of the road - just sitting! I mean, really, what self-respecting animal willingly sits on hot asphalt??? Maybe he was praying as he awaited - expected, hoped even - to be squashed by oncoming traffic. Namely me, since I was the only car on the road. He looked up and didn’t move a feather. I screamed at him to move. Sadly, he didn’t listen. But hey, the local hawk was circling within seconds. BBQ!

How much free time do you have that you customized your dial tone?

Your voice sounds nicer pre recorded over the phone.

I can speak my mind and you won’t answer back.

That dreamy lake with the patch of park

You always wanted to visit

Is garbage.

It’s shallow

Like the puddle of tears

You said you’d cry for me,

Yet there are still hundreds of people

Playing happy on the shores and surface.

Water’s as dirty as the lies you terribly told

Behind my back.

Why couldn’t you use the good lies on me?

Your words were dull and pointless

Unlike the knife you stabbed into my back.

I’m worth more than that.

It smells like trouble.

It looks like smoke.

Somewhere between

Burnt black barbecue,

Busy sweat, and aerosol SPF

The lake is as hazy as our labels.

I wish we were as defined

as these tan lines.

Like tide, we had

Expectations that were too high to satisfy.

I thought it’d be alright.

You always said everything was fine.

Even though I know you lied

I kept my promise, and I completely loved you

until the day you truly died.

The sand is sharp, the water’s cold,

The tops are tank, and I’m alone.

Calling my closure

Criss cross applesauce on an ancient skateboard

I would have loved to take you here anyway.

I thought I would hate this place.

And I was right.

I’ve never wanted to look away from half naked people so fast-

Because I feel guilty.

I wouldn’t be doing anything wrong,

But my heart is committed

And my other senses are convinced

There’s no one else but you.

But there’s so many people to meet

even just out here.

The only difference between you and them

Is that they’re alive

Killing themselves with alcohol, flesh, and

Other people.

You killed people when you were here.

I roll on my own four wheels every day

Reminded that you were a hurtful person

So unworthy of sympathy.

But that’s in the past now where the sun is

Behind me.

The wind and dust is messing with my connection.

You’re breaking up.

Oh wait, we already did that.

Goodbye, Angel.

For once, you really are one.

Summertime starts with the June snow

falling from the cottonwoods.

It tumbles through the streets

that bustle with bikes, laughter, and music.

All eyes to the skies.

Ruckus and gusty storms leave us

huddled in the basement.

They pass quickly. Carry on.

We tirelessly relish every fleeting moment of warmth.

The creeping scent of juicy burgers on the neighbor's grill

lure us in.

Pair it up with crunchy sweet corn and hot sauce.

Stay out late to savor each last kiss

of sweet sunlight-

or at least until you've surrendered to the mosquitos'

relentless song of hunger.

This short season comes to a close

with the blaring calls of the cicadas

reminding us to hunker down for the cold ahead

and eagerly await summer's return.

Bright skies and heat

Less clothes, feeling free

Kayaks and canoes in water

Amusement parks and cold treats

The longest of days

Sometimes a little haze

Beautiful gardens and sun rays

On the beach, vacation stays

Kids out of school

Dips in pools

Rooftop parties

Night skies, starry

Convertible tops down

Festivals galore

Outdoor concerts

Carnivals and more

Always sad when it ends

But great that it does

Otherwise, how would we appreciate

How great summer really was?

As the blazing sun rises in the summer sky,

My heart skips a beat

Energized, melts into your eyes,

As my heart plays hopscotch

Across the velvet of your palms

My eyes wander into the depths

The sea that is your heart's song.

I listen closely, hearing every word as it flows in and out

Along the ocean waves of your soft vibration.

I hear the light of your soul

Echo across the mountain tops

As I sing to you,

Curiously waiting for a kiss to meet my lips.

To taste your sweetness,

To rest against safe pillows that greet me ever so gently.

To dance across heaven's gates and rest neatly in your lap,

Like a little kitten and her cat.

I love you. I love you.

The words mean nothing, as my heart expands beyond verbal capacity.

Your soul exists within mine,

Physically apart, but together, we climb.

We travel upwards and onwards

Into our soul, we find solace.

We know not one of our friends

As a classmate, yet we wish for them to walk this path.

Leave it all behind. Leave everything you know in the past.

Let it all go.

And behold, the great future,

The Awakening that is You.

There is so much more out there, so much for the Soul to meet.

How can you expect to dance with the birdies,

If the pigeons of the past are constantly tugging at your feet?

Honor both

And choose your way.

The light of the soul

Begins to shine

New on this Bright Summer Day;

Thank you.