defining summer

the smell of freshly picked basil twirled carelessly between dirty, calloused fingers

eating angel food cake with quince sauce and listening to oldies on a kitchen radio

doing the twist in your underwear

washing dishes, smiling while thinking of someone faraway

watching a lonely cat waltz meaningfully down a lonesome, steamy road

writing poetry on stationery instead of napkins,
after dinner instead of at an intersection
(or crisis of confidence)

tossing merrigold buds into the corner of a garden

hearing the whisper of rain as it fulfills a promise

warming my face on a new friend's hearty bread

feeling the pinch of a mischievous mosquito

sweeping peach and tomato juice from my chin

falling headlong into the sadness of solitude (like a kid on a slip-n-slide)

mailing something outrageous & thinking...
...i deserve you...