"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