A Day by the River
    by Mary E. Hennessy

Summer ending with the sounds of cicadas fading into the crickets' last call.
A cooling breeze slips quietly through my window,
soft as silk, as gently as a kiss for a child.


The sun steps further south to end Spring below the Equator and bring us Fall.
Time has come for Golden Rod and Queen Anne's Lace,
for sweaters and fireplaces to get to work.

Beaches quiet, as seagulls wonder where their buffet has gone.
Other birds flee the coming cold and nests empty, their babies
learned to fly and feed themselves.

Trees change their clothes from the colors of summer to rust and gold.
Dance to the change without the dripping heat to slow you.
Soon it will be time for cold and coats.