I break the glass of the hour
And pour out the minutes
To sit at the feet of summer;
Earth heavy with lingering winter shards;
I have waited for the spin around
To come to this season.
Do birds lament the crowded beach sky?
Damsels, dragons, flying tigers and zebras;
Dog faces, painted ladies, nymphs;
No see-ums, spotted ladies, and
The jailbird ticks and mosquitoes.
Do these flying things collide the way our cars do?
The buzz, whine, call, mimic,
Cackle, sting, bite:
Undulating jewels, iridescent capes;
Aerial acrobats flying tandem,
Waltzing, patrolling, and perching;
A circus in the sky
And sometimes in my eye.
Who am I when summer comes?
An earth creature with mock dominion;
Wingless, rooted, and grounded
Ponderous flesh amongst ethereal and gossamer
Lightness of feathers and wings.
Summer is on the stage
And at the end of the show
When the curtains close,
Costumes are thrown off-
Delicate dragonfly wings
Are left shimmering in the garden
Faded luna moth wings
Stick between screen and window,
Ragged fritillary wings
Sit atop an orange mum,
Buckeye wings glare at me,
And a monarch still dazzling
Lies still in the driveway, leaving
Not for Mexico.
Discarded and forgotten wings
These gifts are collected to pin to my heart
That I might rise from clay and skin
To soar through autumn, winter, and spring.
Tell It Slant 
Hello Cynthia –
What a lovely tribute to summer’s end! I had so much fun last night at the Ceili — thank you for the welcome and hospitality. I’m so pleased to have discovered this wonderful group of people who are artists, musicians, dancers and writers who come together to dance and play music — as I commented — that seems so unusual and improbable in this day & age of computer-screen interaction.
That being said (despite my distaste for for e-communications) I started my own blog (Planet Jobless: http://estherruth0219.wordpress.com/) . It was my way of dealing with a lay-off and would love it if you’d take a look. Maybe we can link to each other and help each other get hits.
I hope to see you all again! Esther
A Ceili afterglow this day…and I am grateful for those who express their feelings about the evening. Thank you for coming and becoming a part of our memories. The next one will be New Year’s day. I read some of your blog and your thoughts flow easily and challenge readers to think about work and money. Are you still unemployed? I am doing a blog primarily because my publisher asked me to do it. And I will do it as it relates to my writing, especially to encourage and give others hope. And, of course, to spread the news about my books.