Poem at Summer’s End

Free Verse

Photo by Rodrigo Ulloa on Unsplash

The gray pavement lies unchanged
on my road, but the shadows come
too soon, too rough.

In the fading afternoon, plump boletes
line my path and beauty berries clump
in purple dark as blood.

I wish the forest green were a river

and I — a swimmer of renown;
I would dive the rapids. As it is, I pine
for summer’s apogee and stay dry.

The cricket song is thin this evening, soon
October will consume their din.

I hear human voices praise crisp air, cool days.
I am mute. I crave my yellow, yellow sky,
sweet mown grass, weeds hip-high.

The Sea Puzzle