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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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 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
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
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
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
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