Bursting outside every morn
A new day to explore
Racing, gathering all our things
The slamming of screen doors
Picnic lunches on backyard lawns
The smell of fresh-mown grass
Playing Rummy and Crazy Eights
Trading secrets and laughs
Excitement over dime-store treats,
Melting in searing heat
Purple, orange, and cherry juice
Dripping from lips to feet
Afternoon storms came suddenly
Watching from under eaves
Navy skies and cracking thunder
Rattling wind-blown trees
Neighborhood games of Hide and Seek
Baby-boom horde of kids
Penny sales and lemonade stands
Flying high on the swings
Those blissful days of carefree play
Before our adulthood
They seemed to last forever but
Of course, they never could
Halcyon days so full of joy
Of pure, unfettered fun
When we were free to be ourselves
Under the summer sun
I etched your name into wet sand,
And studied it awhile,
Until the surf washed it away.
Cruel act, unkind, hostile.
The irony not lost on me,
Your leaving just as sudden.
I watched you go, not knowing that
In moments, you’d be gone.
The early days impossible,
Embattled heart near done.
Confusion, terror followed me,
The struggle just begun.
Learned the worth of slick distraction,
Avoiding heavy pain,
But these could not erase the hurt,
It lingered, just the same.
The very world I loved the most
Had taken you from me.
I hoped I could connect with you,
So drove to Folly Beach.
I wrote your name upon the sand,
And watched it slip away.
‘Twas folly to believe that I
Could find you here today.
I sit outside on my screened porch,
Am soothed by southern sounds.
The varied song of morning birds
I hear from all around.
The sun is just now coming up
Across the salty marsh.
Vibrant jewel tones comfort me.
The sky is all awash.
Blue heron sails by overhead,
So elegant in flight.
I watch him glide across my path
Until he’s out of sight.
I feel a welcome, cooling breeze
So gently kiss my face.
The heat will come, but for now I
Am settled in my chaise.
The perfume from wisteria
That climbs the live oak tree
Fills up my senses all at once
And mesmerizes me.
I close my eyes and think about
My plans for coming day,
But I am so at ease right now,
I think that I will stay.
It took so long for me to build
The life that I have here.
Containing all the things I love
And people I hold dear.
Although not of here, now I’ve come
To love this southern place,
Appreciate the beauty and
Its ever-present grace.
