So much happened this past weekend. Some news was pleasantly uplifting like people coming together to express themselves at peaceful protests, and honoring dads in fun ways on Father’s Day. But some news was deeply upsetting like the traded air strikes between Israel and Iran, and the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. My emotions have really been all over the place. So, I am taking a pause to process things. And now with summer upon us, this break will help me shift my thoughts elsewhere for a while.
From my journal: June 21, 2011, Newbury Park, California
“The longest day of the year…it’s the Summer Solstice…everything is alright with the world! Looking forward to time off, hanging with family & friends, and just relaxing…”
This Friday, the season of carefree, open window, sunshiny days and cool, starlit, outdoor evenings will begin. Welcome Summer! While I enjoy sharing quotes, I have been in a poetry reading mood lately. Here are a few that for me capture the true essence of the months that lay ahead. No matter my age, I am always reminded of my childhood and feel like a kid this time of year. And now more than ever, I’m welcoming and embracing these thoughts and feelings.
Summer
By Ellwyn Autumn
Summer is a time for fun,
To jump and play in the sun!
Swimming, sandcastles, slip and slides,
Bumper cars and thrilling rides!
Summer is a time for fun,
To eat a hot dog on a bun!
Camping and amusement parks,
Bright fireworks in the dark!
Summer is a time for fun!
To blow bubbles and catch each one!
Shells, sandals, and the seashore,
Sprinklers, picnics, and so much more!
Midsummer, Tobago
by Derek Walcott
Broad sun-stoned beaches.
White heat.
A green river.
A bridge,
scorched yellow palms
from the summer-sleeping house
drowsing through August.
Days I have held,
days I have lost,
days that outgrow, like daughters,
my harbouring arms.
Summer Hiking
By Denise Rodgers
Out on a hike
in the summer’s deep woods,
the bugs bug my face
as I knew that they would.
They fly up my nose
and they buzz in my ear.
I swat them away
but it’s soon very clear.
That this is their home,
it’s their land, it’s their place.
So…when in the woods
I will swat at my face.
Fireflies in the Garden
By Robert Frost
Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can’t sustain the part.
My Ice Cream is Melting
By Kenn Nesbit
My ice cream is melting
this hot sunny day.
I’m licking it quick but
it’s dribbling away.
My ice cream is melting
it’s starting to drip.
All over my fingers,
my chin, and my lip.
My ice cream is melting
I can’t make it stop.
It’s hitting the ground with
a splash and a plop.
My ice cream is melting
and turned into ooze.
It was on a cone but
it’s now on my shoes.
June
By John Updike
The sun is rich
And gladly pays
In golden hours,
Silver days.
And long green weeks
That never end.
School’s out.
The time Is ours to spend.
There’s Little League,
Hopscotch, the creek,
And, after supper,
Hide-and-seek.
The live-long light
Is like a dream,
and freckles come
Like flies to cream.
May this summer be a time filled with good memories, a time spent with family and friends, and a time that brings hope for brighter days ahead.
A Journal Journey 