SUMMER NIGHTS

 A gentle breeze brushes

against my skin like 

wisps of Angel wings 

fluttering by 

Solar lights lined one 

after the other along the 

garden path  give a glow like

lit candles in a dusky church;

Someone’s silent prayer 

reaching to Heaven  

The night is quiet,

peaceful  and still

The moon and stars

in their proper place

provide a perfect

canopy for my

backyard sanctuary

And long ago …. 

On hot summer nights  when folks didn’t have 

cellphones or cable tv, or computers or iPads;

 No air conditioning or cooling fans,  they sat outside

on a front porch swing and would greet neighbors as they 

passed by. And ponder the evening sky. 

And listen to the gentle 

breeze blowing through the trees. 

Sometimes someone might hum

a favorite melody, or whistle a happy tune like my 

Great Grandma Blanche would do. As the night 

grew darker a chorus of crickets

would start to sing. From rose bushes lining the walkway a

faint, sweet scent  would waft upward. 

It was magical and lovely 

those warm summer nights sitting on the front porch swing 

with people who loved me