“Saturday in the Swing”

Saturday in the swing

            serenaded with cicada song

                        and the chuck-chuck-chuck

                                    of chiding squirrels

                                                I float

                                    aimless—and appreciative

                                                of quiet moments spent swaying

My dog calls greeting to our neighbor

            rolling her Rs like that old Ruffles commercial

                        she’s a sentry

                                    sniffing out lizards

A breeze plays with my writing paper

            dances the words among the shadows

                        cast from sun and leaves

                                    making me dizzy in the Texas heat

A paw taps my knee

            accompanied by a whine

                        I’m abandoned

                                    for central air

Moisture collects

            on the back of my neck

                        on upper lip

                                    around my hairline

                                                behind my knees

I inhale humidity

            yet I linger

                        savoring my Saturday in the swing

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman