Beverly Finney
Snapshots of Country Summers
worn cow paths to the shallow creek
sun-dappled shade of overhanging trees
watermelon in the field, out of the rind, juice
on your face, dripping down your arms
wooden bucket filled with ice and salt,
churning a freezing bowl of vanilla ice cream
puddle knee-deep in a hay-field terrace,
a hard rain, heaven-sent wading hole
blackberries on July Fourth, purple stains,
briar scratches, chigger bites–the price for jam
barefoot through dust, mud, dew, scorching
pavement, the world through your feet
June bugs, fireflies at dusk, bees in clover,
the buzz of crickets, the piping peep frogs
corn on the cob, red ripe tomatoes, squash,
garden fresh with green beans, cucumbers
windows open, sleeping in a drift of honeysuckle
soft lowing cattle, dreams on silver moonbeams
Wild Goose Poetry Review 