The Last Taste of Summer

Nature’s wheel turning, the

air heavy with water and

the smell of musty tents.

Heat stirred in a bug-fevered

dance. Bees rest lazily across

lush purple blooms, blackbirds

sing a swan’s song, radios

echo the last crack of the

baseball bat. Hammocks sigh,

cicadas drone. One more coat

of calamine across red welts.

Mothers yearn for the school

bus groan as they slip children

into new clothes. Summer skies

swell and wisteria weeps over

blistered fences. BBQ pits give

one final sizzle as these lazy

days are flung across

Autumn’s cool shoulder.