July is a traveller
Who moves between
Spring profusion
And harvest’s satisfaction
She is a thunderstorm
Humming low notes
Along prairie skies
Chanteuse goddess
Swishing her velvet nimbus gown
Raspberries grow fat
Fed by her lachrymal song
July is a lazy time
Over in a blink
Days slip coyly into nights
That stretch out; a cat
languid from the heat
Surveying her realm
From a fence-post throne
July ferries us
Between equinoxes
When women wear
White dresses adorned
With blue flowers
Confusing bees
And enticing lovers
July is sweat licked
From salty lips
By a neon tongue; stained on
Free Slurpee day
Its holy nectar
Sustaining us through
This heat wave
I’ve got to be a poet
On my own time
July piles work upon
Browning shoulders
Branded by creamy stripes
Limning my soft olive skin
She traces with her gaze
While I ache for her touch
Ripe with desire
Longing to wind her golden rays
Around my fingers
Secretly I am
Jealous and possessive
I will sit with July
Ask her why
She races so fast
Towards August
Is he the lover she craves
Already I lament the loss
Of her self effulgence
Still, for an obol
And a kiss
I am reluctant Charon
Loath, but duty bound
Enslaved by eternal rites
Stronger than will or might
Come, it is nearly the hour
I will convey you
In my red kayak
Across the river
North Sakatchewan
As you fade into the west
Look back
I will be here
Waiting for you
.
.
.
Made for Mike Singleton's July prompt which you can find here:
https://shopping-feedback.today/writers/on-a-july-morning-a-mikeydred-july-dollar-prompt-for-all-vocal-creators%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}
About the Creator
Aspen Marie
In love with life and all of its foibles.
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Comments (5)
Beautiful! here I read it on Aug 1 and I miss July more now! But August, it is my birth month and it speeds away too. Stay summer, stay! I loved your poem.
This is what poetry is for. Making unbearable things sound beautiful, and like we might even like them if we gave them a chance. Do I like summer now?. 👏👏🔆
Anything with Charon in it always gets a thumbs up from me, haha! But well-wrought as always, Marie! Sorry to flood you with so many comments. I just want you to know your poetry is always incredible. And I don't know why, but the line "Along prairie skies" really stood out to me. Beautiful imagery, beautifully done. And a fantastic photo! I hope you'll capture more photos of the sky/clouds! Also great to see you enter Mike's challenge! 😁
So many great thoughts in this, and for some reason, the format made me think of a Temple column with so much mythology woven in. Thank you for your challenge entry
Oooo, I especially loved the idea of August being July's lover that she craves. Your poem also reminded me of the song August by Taylor Swift!