A season of being outside with the fireflies,
Butterflies, beetles, bees and birds.

Homemade ice cream, popsicles and fudge bars.
Hot dogs on the grill.  Roasted marshmallows.

Camping and swimming and cornhole.
Badminton, freeze tag, hide and seek.

Vine ripe tomatoes. Cucumbers and watermelon.
Sweet corn. Blackberries. Peaches.

Summer has some good stuff.
And yet, the heat shows up sooner and stays longer.

It settles in the bricks of the house.
And in my bones and on my skin.

The flowers are wilting. The ground is cracking.
Streams, creeks, rivers and lakes are drying up.

Summer is just getting started.