Summer solstice arrives.
Soaring into the heart of June.
Longest day of the year.
For butterflies, bees, chipmunks.
For me.
Lover of natural illumination.
Walks at dawn and dusk.
With a Tilley hemp hat upon my head.
Tipping it to the sun.
As we tilt closer.
Like I would a glass of champagne.
Celebrating natural milestones.
Red and pink beebalm blooms.
Lips wide, enticing winged creatures.
Bright orange butterfly weed.
Beckoning monarchs, swallowtails.
Linden blooms carpeting lawns.
For queens and princesses to tread.
Mulberries hanging heavy on branches.
Staining streets as they fall.
Congregations of day lilies praying.
Tiny green lemons bursting to life.
Frogs bellowing mating calls.
Does gazing upwards quizzically.
Baby geese growing as large as parents.
Ready to take wing.
Each scene, a piece of the jigsaw.
Filling in the frame of bright June days.
Do plants and animals tire of so much light?
Are they hungrier, thirstier?
Or are they greedy like me?
Wanting to seize sunbeams?
Already sad to bid the solstice farewell.
Bit by bit what’s sunlit will fade.
As earth slips away from sun.
Shorter days bringing nighttime shade.
Lynn Benjamin
June 22, 2024
