Long summer days of tadpoles and crawdads

Framed by pussy willows and high sunlight

When every kid in the neighborhood

Fled to the outdoors, pedals flying

Into parks and down sidewalks

Drinking water from the hose

And pulling raspberries as we played

Finding snakes and dirt and adventure

In every space

And now the sun shines down relentless

In a desert where summers drive us into our homes

We hide from the daylight

And emerge during winters

A hibernation

Driven in reverse ~ Caroline A. Slee