Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Poetry Wednesday: Summer Morning

Jacqui B and I share similar mornings as we were discussing earlier today. And she has written a delightful poem for this week's Poetry Wednesday at her Creative Journey site. Following along that thread, I found a nice little poem on summer mornings. I particularly like the last stanza: And all of a sudden! In the midst of that quiet, It seems possible To live simply on this earth.

Of course you get more pictures from my yard, these from Sunday morning: (above)my corner garden where I removed most of the day lilies last year and added in many other things including my favorite bee balm blooming its heart out down front, and (bel0w) close up of bee balm (click pictures to enlarge).

Summer Morning
by Charles Simic

I love to stay in bed
All morning,
Covers thrown off, naked,
Eyes closed, listening.

Outside they are opening
Their primers
In the little school
Of the corn field.

There's a smell of damp hay,
Of horses, laziness,
Summer sky and eternal life.

I know all the dark places
Where the sun hasn't reached yet,
Where the last cricket
Has just hushed; anthills
Where it sounds like it's raining;
Slumbering spiders spinning wedding dresses.

I pass over the farmhouses
Where the little mouths open to suck,
Barnyards where a man, naked to the waist,
Washes his face and shoulders with a hose,
Where the dishes begin to rattle in the kitchen.

The good tree with its voice
Of a mountain stream
Knows my steps.
It, too, hushes.

I stop and listen:
Somewhere close by
A stone cracks a knuckle,
Another rolls over in its sleep.

I hear a butterfly stirring
Inside a caterpillar,
I hear the dust talking
Of last night's storm.

Further ahead, someone
Even more silent
Passes over the grass
Without bending it.

And all of a sudden!
In the midst of that quiet,
It seems possible
To live simply on this earth.

4 comments:

JBinford-Bell said...

Lovely poem selection and inspiring garden photo. Somehow I think my gardens will never look like that. I have tried bee balm but without your success. It is beautiful.

Thanks for participating again this week when I know you just want to sit in the sun and sip your coffee.

JBinford-Bell said...

Oh, btw, the link is correct but the title of the blog wrong. It is Creative Journey.

Bekkieann said...

Oh my mistake. I've corrected the name now.

I've had a lot of bad luck with bee balm, but I keep trying as I love it so much. There are three of them in this little plot, but two are overshadowed by that red blanket flower that grew twice as tall as I had expected this year. I'll move things around in the fall.

This corner garden is at a sharp curve and intersection and has always been hard to care for. But I seem to have found some heat tolerant plants plus some changing color spring through fall.

After reading yesterday about your poppies and columbine, I made a list of plants I want to add in September and October. Can you believe today is July? September will be here before we know it.

Anonymous said...

a delightful poem and you are right - the last stanza is great.