And after the Summer,
Thunder rolls in the sky
Where only a moment ago
Blue was everywhere.
Swallows play their flashy games,
Part of the ground for an instant
Then away into the air,
An ecstasy of flight,
Irrepressible joy.
And we below
Feel the first,
cool spots of rain.
Waiting,
Loath to leave the garden
And the smooth, green grass.
Drooping shrubs out of focus
In the misty light
Before the storm.
Rain forces me indoors
And all the Summer evening
Dies gently
Through pearly windows.
From "A Kind Of Heaven" by Richard Maslen (click to go back)