Figuring out what I wanna be when I grow up.
Oop..I AM grown up...


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Grass Is Growing Tall Again

The grass is growing tall again. We've lost the fervent, fresh new green of spring, and all that saturated tremulous beauty. We will trade it for white hot days, dry, cracked earth, and raucous daisies left to watch highways and lonely dirt roads.  The trees will reach together, joining leaves, and form a canopy from the sun, but not the heat; the breath-stealing, blanket heat. 

The cicada will sing.

There are days for bare feet.  Dirty, small feet running through the long grass.  Small feet running past mother's garden, running on the baked sidewalk, on the scorching black driveway.  Dirty little feet that get washed in a bucket of cool water at dusk. 

The moonbeam coreopsis are almost ready.  There will be a riot of yellow star-shaped flowers.  The blanket flowers will open, warm and saturated with yellow and red.  The coneflower will reach higher and higher, but those roadside daisies and the blue chicory will bloom even with no care and no rain. 

The grass is growing tall again, and soon the stores will be filled with strawberries in little green boxes, and then plums, and peaches.  Peach pie.  Corn on the cob that didn't come from thousands of miles away.  Drive in movies, back yard badminton, afterbite for your itchies, aloe for your burns.  What gets the chlorine sting out of eyes?  You might as well wear your bathing suit all day, even when you're making your chalk drawings with the girls.  You need it for those tiny, grass-filled kiddy pools. The sprinkler's broken.  You stomped on it right in the middle of the fun. 

At dusk, the june bugs circle the trees. 
At dusk, the thunder rumbles across the sky.

At dusk, the children come in to bed. 

When the grass is very tall, when the air is heady with jungle growth, and cut lawns, and when the crickets buzz incessantly, it will almost be over.  When the shadows stretch and lean across the path, even though it is still warm, it will almost be over.  When the chrysanthemum begins to bloom, it will almost be over.  When the Sears catalogue appears on the front porch, it's really almost over.

But,


Have you noticed lately how tall the grass is getting?


 

* this was for a Studio30 Plus writing prompt; "The Grass Is Growing Tall Again"

16 comments:

  1. This made me smile:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. big talent karen, BIG talent!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It amazes me how you can write like that. And you probably totally enjoyed it and found it relaxing even. The thought of taking a prompt and actually writing something makes me feel slightly ill. But I do love to read!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That was very nice to read Karen.... :)

    Love,
    Aimee

    ReplyDelete
  5. look atchu waxing poetic today! i liked the dirty little feet part especially. there's something about dirty feet on a smiling kid that tells you it's been a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. well Christy, I haven't attempted all the writing prompts, that's for sure. Last week's was "the amateur," and I didn't even bother.

    Writing is relaxing. Skiing is still relaxing to you, right? Makes me feel horrified at the thought!

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh, my sister....xoxox to you too, you little nerd. C'mere for a love noogie. Wait, that sounds gross...

    ReplyDelete
  8. yeah, it was either wax poetic, or wax BIG BUMMER. Har har, THanks Sherlin.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like summer imagery.

    You put me in a place I friggin dig. thanks, Karen

    ReplyDelete
  10. you're welcome, Lance. I wonder if your post is up yet--I checked yesterday, but the link led me NOWHERE!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nicely done. The picture was a nice 'pick' as well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. difficult to find a pic with just the right kind of summery long grassiness

    ReplyDelete
  13. HA! This made me actually chuckle out loud! I love little surprise endings!

    ReplyDelete
  14. thanks Brandon! And thanks for stopping by :)

    ReplyDelete

I lurv comments. Thank you for the comments. They are scrumptious.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails