Category: Poetry

On such a marvelous, fair gift of a day as this, I am strongly reminded that I am not ready to give up Summer’s outdoor glory. As magical as Autumn is, nothing can compare to the light-filled days lasting into balmy, celebratory outdoor nights. This short poem attempts to capture such moments and the rich gratitude for the sounds of summer that remain on this September day.

Crisp and roaring,

Freshly tuned and standing on tiptoes

Is the symphonic choral assembly

Of deep September crickets,

Weaving on the breezes

Those extraordinary, blending, swelling sounds

In response to evening’s uplifted conducting baton

And announcing to my glad heart

That it’s not over yet.

Summer.

The child’s heart in me stands on tiptoe every late June and early July evening, searching for the return of the fireflies. They come to decorate my yard and adjoining woods in a celebration of wonder that is unparalleled. There is something almost supernatural about them in their radiant simplicity and jubilant dance. I dedicate this childlike poem to them in the hope that you will go outside on this summer evening to imbibe their inspiration. Enjoy.

My firefly friend is such a sight.

He comes to visit me in the night.

Carrying his lantern on his tail

to attract the fancy of the flying female.

Winging upward on breezes afar

He shimmers in wonder, becoming a star.

My firefly friend is an enchanting delight

He comes to visit me in the night.

A few years back, my husband and I traversed into the dream journey of a lifetime when we flew over The Atlantic and landed in Dublin, Ireland. For over a week we drove on the winding, storytelling roads, became charmingly lost off the beaten path, explored castles of old, discovered new family…and ourselves. Throughout that time, whether it was discerning the sound of an unseen violin on the grounds of Blarney Castle, moving to the energy of traditional folk ballads with newly-made friends in a Killarney pub, or encountering the magic of a local fiddler on the cobblestone streets of Galway, it was that ever-flowing life force of music that found its way into the cracks and crevices of my soul. I will always carry the wonder of Ireland inside me because of the everlasting music of Aran.

The music of Aran is sure always there

‘Amidst mountain and bay and the pub everywhere.

She carries her cadence on the wind, in the street.

Her exuberant dance comes to romance my feet.

And my life has been altered by her rhythm and song

As it ever inspires me all my life long.

So I thank her, dear Eire, for gifts given to me

In her tunes and her verse

That have set my soul free.