One IX

9 of 12 in the Jemverse series ’12 months V’

Maybe May will find me
on the beach once more
as warmer days get warmer
and summer waits in store
Maybe May will be the one
to see those doors flung wide
for long days in the sunshine
no more the place to hide
Maybe May will see these things
as they're the thing to do
for the fifth month and summer
are quite symbiotic too

Thinking of summer when cold (reprise)

8 of 10 in the Jemverse Winter 22 series ‘Brittle Days’

When it’s cold in the winter
I will look to the sun
and think back to the summer
as I have always done
Back to the days
of whimsy and breeze
when a cool wisp is welcome
rustling quiet through the leaves

Summer’s swansong II

On this September morning
sunshine greeted me again
and as this could be the summer's swansong
no one could lay the blame
if today instead of working
to the beach I went instead
to seize the opportunity
and by my heart be led

August sunflower

Scattered there at random
in the Springtime round about
the flower seeds for summer
of which we had some doubt
And yet today amongst the beans
which are growing now quite tall
a single yellow sunflower
appears though still quite small

Pit patter cathartic

Pit patter of rain
on the water down there
almost silent the sound
but lovely to share
and watching it fall
yes every small drop
I am mesmerised here
lest it should now stop

Pit patter of rain
the circles at start
concentric the spread
from the very heart
and watching them fall
to this precious scene
is a magical place
I have so often been

August undecided

August undecided
change and fickle shows
with one day sun but next of rain
so no-one really knows
Summer warmth remains though
a constant there to hold
at least for the time being
before it turns to cold

But I'm not all that bothered
so with all that August brings
I'll still enjoy each day it gives
as my voice always sings
August undecided
but there's a mystery here
as no-one knows what to expect
around this time of year

Wet

I would go to the beach hut
if not for the rain
which is making it feel
like winter again
Or maybe a wander
up there on the hill
as it doesn't much matter
if I keep dry until
the sod of fair Sussex
under my feet
is trodden again 
to make life complete
But instead I think I'll
stay at home in the dry
and watch as this wet
summer day passes by

A day in August

And just as I thought 'It's cooler today'
the sun put its hat on and said
"I'll have none of that, here's the summer you need"
and shone down warm on my head

So I gave it a wave with a nonchalant glance
which I knew it would see by the way
as I settled down to the summer I knew
on this lovely warm August day

Shadowplay II

I played with my shadow
in the evening sunshine
it gave me a wave
so I knew it was mine

We both laughed aloud
at the shapes we made there
and didn't much mind
if it made people stare

But as the sun slipped down low
we bade fond adieu
as we know we'll be back
well you would, wouldn't you?

Down to the beach

I came down to the beach
after a long and arduous day
the sunshine still quite high
and quite hot still I would say

I walked the four miles there
with my AirPods in my ears
listening to Underworld
as I have done for years

Not that far

Walking to the beach hut
it's not so very far
but the view along the waterside
is quite spectacular
There's sunshine on the water
and though some clouds are grey
it's very warm and pleasant 
on this lovely summer day

By and by I'll sit me down
on the beach I call a friend
outside my haven beach hut
until the day has reached its end
And then I'll wander home again
back beside the sea
watching as the evening falls 
on this fair soliloquy

Summer in abandon

Summer in abandon
grey and rainy every day
sometimes very windy
and quite miserable I'll say
The sun has gone on holiday
and left us quite alone
which isn't very thoughtful
as we're still stuck at home

So long days lounging on the beach
are absent at this time
as are evenings out the back
with a warm glass of wine
But just around the corner
August waits with bated breath
so perhaps there is a glimmer
for us here, the bereft

That lavender time again VI

Every year my lavender
features on this day
The twenty-third of each July
no matter, come what may

For this as each year passes
is that lavender time again
celebrating harvest time
from sunshine and the rain

And culminating in
this fragrance so divine
which comes from all the lavender
I pick around this time

Sunshine Bright (revisited) II

Concluding the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series (10 of 10)

Dawning bright, I know you well
you are a friend of mine
Always welcome, never shunned
the warming bright sunshine
I smile upon your dazzling face
I squint into your glare
And always come alive a bit
whenever you are there

The summer of me (revisited) II

9 of 10 in the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series

When the morning air welcomes
From a night time that’s done
And the wind has died down
Giving warmth to the sun
And the sea’s a flat calm
Now the new day’s begun
The summer of me lives again

Encouraging the sun (revisited)

8 of 10 in the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series

Fragile and fleeting
a delicate sun
Kissed a few flowers
and then it was done

Hiding behind
a dark wall of grey
It bid me farewell
and was gone for the day

But I wasn’t having
any of that
So I frantically waved
and bid it come back

Anticipation (revisited)

7 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Summer 21’

There are moments in soft summer days
when a whisper to the world
is all that’s needed when I wake
and the morning is unfurled

The sweet refrain of birdsong there
as the sunshine filters through
is enough for me to welcome
another day of something new

Anticipation breathes content
there’s a promise with the sun
and I venture out with purpose
as though my life had just begun

Cusp of summer (revisited)

6 of 10 in the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series

Smooth the sand ‘neath greying skies
The breeze it softly sings
As o’er the sea, the setting sun
A gathering it brings

Caught up in this, the ebbing tide
Back across the beach
And there, the cusp of summer
Just a little out of reach

Gentle waves in movement turn
With salt upon the air
The sunset fades and slips away
To night time waiting there.

Golden…(revisited)

5 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Summer 21’

Golden water on
Golden river
Golden shimmer on
Golden sea
Golden dawn on
Golden morning
Golden smiles on
Golden me

Summer (revisited) II

4 of 10 in the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series

Oaken tree tall, middle of field
Shading all from the sun’s heady yield
Shadow of evening, summer is here
Cobwebs have vanished, eyes are now clear
Long gone the cold that brought chill to the bone
Here now the sultriness smiling from home

Waxen soft thread in the new light of dawn
Shimmering there in the silvery morn
Seeing the first time Nature’s new child
Deep ‘cross the meadow and born with a smile
Hovering there o’er the blues and the golds
The treasure the wise ones have long known of old

At the eve (revisited)

3 of 10 in the Jemverse series ‘Summer 21’

At the eve of this day

I will lie back in lavender

And there will be evening sunshine

And a deep breath of contentment

And I will smile

Goodness (revisited)

2 of 10 in the Jemverse ‘Summer 21’ series

Sunrise over a sea-mist evening
Summer’s soft call now
The heat of day slip-slides away
Cool now upon my brow

Golden painted water glistens
And seagulls on the wing
Hover lazy, almost sleeping
As evening songbirds sing

This is a picture dreams are made of
Contented smiles attest
All one could hope for and as I am here
I am a man who’s blessed

Blue (revisited)

Blue in meadow, Summer green
Open window, Bright sunbeam
Weather warming, Yellow too
Sunshine beckons, Pastel hue
Grass grows longer, Green abounds
Flowers appearing, Summer sounds
Cold winds fading, Warmer breeze
Waves receding, Paddling seas
Beach huts open, Sandals out
Summer’s here, Without a doubt

Beginning XI

11 of 12 in the ’12 months IV’ series from Jemverse

July the first and summer continues
warming up just a tad I presume
Cos with May the rain
in bucketloads came
which continued cool into June

So good the sun

So good to feel the sun again
and let its warmth envelope me
as I lie down and drift away
at ease and blissfully

So good to see the good it's done
to grass and bush and tree
as growth abundant blossoms
quite unequivocally

And then came the rain

And then came the rain
close after the sun
a deluge which lasted
for days on the run

The gardeners and farmers
were over the moon
but all the sunbathers
said it was too soon

For the weatherman said
that the heatwave would last
but all of a sudden
it's forgotten and past

Born to the sun V

Back in the fifties
and born to the sun
a Thursday's child
knew he had begun

Growing up in the sixties
never sun to eschew
this Thursday's child 
was still nearly new

And then cam the seventies
formative years
a teen to his twenties
with joy and yes, tears

Heatwave

It's been one of those sultry days
that summer sometimes brings
when the sunshine burns intensely
with heat haze shimmerings
and though it's now past five o'clock
there's little respite here
so I feel quite contented
to pour a nice cold beer
And with mock orange fragrance
heady in the air
sit here a little longer
the evening sun to share