Sun and shadow dapple the ivy
as it unfurls slowly up the wall.
Just a few days after the solstice,
the summer’s long heat rises early
from the damp coolish darkness beneath
the foliage in the garden bed.
Two cardinal couples flit between
the long branches of the chinquapin
twittering love songs through the morning,
while the dogs stalk lizards through the yard.
(June 29,2024)
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