Summer has matured
The air, hot and thick
The garden teems with produce
The days are full like a tick

The children know
That free-time is short
They run barefoot in grass
And build shady forts

The cattle stand in cool ponds
To escape the heavy heat
The corn and the berries
Have never tasted as sweet

There’s a sense of urgency
A carpe diem spirit
The frogs are croaking, “summer’s ending!” 
A reminder to those who hear it

So, we take the final trips
Do some sittin’ on the porch
Dip our toes in cool streams
While the sun burns like a torch

Soon, a yellow bus will round the bend
But until we come to meet –
We will savor every bite of summer
It is ripe, and good to eat