Poem of the day

Indian Summer of Life

Katherine S. M. Bittner
A calm, a stillness
a rustling of leaves in the trees overhead,
the smell of raspberries on a neighbor's bush,
The smell of my rising bread dough
Impressions
of a life which was once all I knew
and to which I have returned
like an Indian summer
Cicadas buzzing amid the chirps of birds
Towering trees, shade against a hot sun
I am home, but for how long
these peaceful days
are like a dream
a pleasant dream in which one knows
that dawn is coming
and they must wake soon.
Life is never the same, it is true,
but in my travels I have returned amid the swirling waters
to this bank
to this Indian summer
to sweet grass underfoot
to gardens and the laughter
of family
Birds, wood, flowers, water, sun and storm
Breathing it in
before I return to the water
Before I follow the birds south.