Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Catching Crabs

Friday
and the maple tree
is in full bloom.
What once had died is back.
What once was brown is green.
The orange daylilies are open and singing
their song of summer.
Everything is still.
The dogs lie in the sun
quiet as statues.
Children sleep in white linen
and dream of snow cones and hot dogs
and hours of fun in lakes and pools.
Summer is here
and with it comes freedom.
The freedom to sit and dangle your toes off the edge of a dock
tickling the water below.
The freedom to catch crabs with rotten chicken necks.
The freedom to lie on your back
and smell the honeysuckle
waft through the air like a fine perfume.
It is a time to remember
what it feels like to be a kid,
when the biggest worry you had
was how many days were left
until school started again.