Gooseberries are just coming on
like small green beach balls
I’d imagined in childhood as I waited for
them to ripen in a rush of purple, but
sneaking a few early because I liked
how they made my mouth pucker.

The catalpa trees by the pond are
blooming cotton Candy flowers
contrasting azure skies mirroring
those billowing clouds we make into
shapes of bears and boats and
dragons on bright summer days.

Fleabane and clover flowers cover the
ground in small bursts of beauty, blooms
clumped in pockets all around the yard
bees zigzag paths to visit each one as
I step around admiring these small
wonders I grew up knowing.