“… in my salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood/To say as I said then!” – Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
In the sweet-sour lemonade days of August,
while others lingered on the lawn at dusk,
clinging to the last childhood games, I stayed only
to sniff the air for signs of fall, my heart
beating faster at a whiff of burning leaves,
my blood fizzing on the first chilly day,
longing for another cycle of books,
chalkboards, and pencils to begin again
the way my mother did in her summers too.
Now, watching the fireflies on the lawn,
I imagine children running with jars
to catch the fading time …
“Isn’t it pretty to think so.” –The Sun Also Rises (1926) by Ernest Hemingway
~~~
This August forecast and trip to “the good old days” is sponsored by dVerse and GoDogGo.
“I imagine children running with jars
to catch the fading time …”
love those final lines, very well written
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Thank you!
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This is very beautiful, and I find the ending so freeing yet as well poignant to catch the remaining moments before they pass. To catch time before it eludes us and becomes lost.
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Thank you!
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Beautifully imagined! I would have been one of the children running with jars…
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We didn’t have fireflies where we lived in Colorado, so the first time I saw them I was in high school!
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The first time I saw them was five years ago: I was mesmerised!
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I was enchanted with your poem … how it perfectly matched the Hemingway line.
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Thank you!
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I loved my summers as a kid but I also got that excitement going when it was time to get into school mode. I like to think of the fireflies as bits of time that can be captured in a jar. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” Great use of the prompt line for inspiration, Denise 🙂
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Thank you!
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You’re very welcome.
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I remember running with that jar……now the kids just care about flashing screens…
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” I stayed only to sniff the air for signs of fall, my heart beating faster at a whiff of burning leaves,”… this is such a powerful, powerful poem. I love where the quote took you 💝
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Beautiful imagery and sensory impressions throughout your poem! I especially love: In the sweet-sour lemonade days of August / I stayed only to sniff the air for signs of fall / my blood fizzing on the first chilly day.
Wonderful ❤
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Thank you!
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