Sweet Summer
Finally, Summer
My Summer
Mother Summer, Teacher Summer, Learner Summer
Blank pages, wide open spaces
Ready, set, go… SUMMER!
Swedish Death Cleanse
Prepare to die
Prepare to live!
Nervous system…
Reset
Reset
Reset
Late night house sounds
White noise fan
Flashback of summer nights
When I stayed up all night
Reading
Ceiling fan rocking at high speed and
My eyes heavy
but unable to give up the page,
The delicious and tantalizing page
Yard work today
Paused to pick a magnolia
A moment in time
Sweet capture
brought
Memories of Gram Pyrum’s lapel
She wore her freshly plucked magnolia from her tree to church
We walked across the street that summer day
I can still smell the church cafeteria
The one my Poppa built
all those summer Sundays ago
Summer
My Summer
Teacher Summer
The email…
Just when you thought it was safe
School rears its ugly head
Threat threat threat
Buy in or Sell Out?
I don’t know
Define your M.O.
I don’t want to think about the schedule
Still trying to find my summer
Summer
My Summer
Mother Summer
Sunday food prep
Cobbler or cake?
What’s it to ya?
Easy cobbler or Fruit pancake?
It is not the same
Meh…
Summer, My Summer
Mother Summer
The last box is gone
The graduate moved out and on
Swedish Death Cleanse Part 2 and 3
Relentless but necessary
Sell it, donate, throw it away
Clean it, paint it, order it up
Whew…
Now, what?
Summer, My Summer?
Appointments, To do’s
All the things pushed back to accommodate school me
Get “er done! Check, check, check
Unexpected text
Lost a precious classmate
Husband of my friend, who died over two decades ago
Graveside
The silence allowed the memories to flow
And gratitude to come
A gift of closure
Goodnight…
and say your prayers
Summer
Teacher and Learner Summer
Get up
Get in the back seat, Maude
Buckle up
OWP is gonna be a long, full ride
Acutely aware
of my own overwhelm
So sleepy
Oops, I drove through the drive through
but without my dinner…
Delirious laughter
Summer, My Summer
Teacher and Learner Summer
Second day OWP
Better,
I think
Chasing fireflies
Trust my cape
Day Three and Four
Zip Zap Zop
Writing this and that and slop
Oh, that’s good
No, that’ crap
I recognize that
Yap yap yap
Way past time, time to take a nap
Damn you, Canva, we meet again
But now for a weekend, Peace Out, friends
Summer, My Summer
What surprises do you still hold, sweet summer?
Michale, I love all the literary devices you’re using in this poem to bring this summer to life! I don’t remember who wrote that poetry is a shortcut to emotion, but almost every line in your poem hits me: the stress and relief of a purge, the bittersweet transition between chapters of life, the anxiety of trying to avoid work and rest as much as possible. You said it best!
Michale, I absolutely loved this poem. It perfectly describes exactly what it feels like to be a teacher over the summer. I love the part about the nervous system reset, because the summer shock is such a real thing. The repetition is so perfect for the tone you set, and I think this piece is so wonderful.
So many things going on in your summer/s! Oh the speed, the memories, the bumps and flights. And oh my, what is a Swedish Death Cleanse?
I can relate to your poem as a teacher with the relief summer is here, and then the stress of trying to get caught up from the school year. Oh to be a teacher.
YES! Can a “Mother Summer” actually belong to oneself? I love that this poem took us on a ride, we were passengers with Maude. And I could clearly envision the magnolias you wrote about. Brava.