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