By: Bruce Levine

Late Afternoon

The late afternoon
Changes the mood of the day
A cooling breeze
Erases the oppressive heat of the morning
A crystal blue sky
Without a single cloud
A tiny plane slips suddenly
Onto the horizon
Where it’s going – unknown
I watch my dog
As she stretches out on the grass
In the dog park that she truly believes is hers
And hers alone
She rolls and lays her head
In the softness
Smelling the sweat scent of the lawn
All of this I realize
From a bench nearby
I too have lain in the grass with her
On other days
Watching clouds changing shapes
And making formations
In the quietness
Broken only by birds
Momentarily talking to each other
And the swaying trees
The only movement
Intruding on the stillness
Of the late afternoon
Before the sun sets
And brings the night
Making way for a new dawn
Unpredictable
Yet with the hope
Of another late afternoon
Like today

The Street Fair

A cool breeze
Drifted through the window screen
Refreshing the air
After the hot summer morning

The street fair
That had been a diversion
Radiating energy
On a scale of one to ten

Rambling moments
Through booths lining Main Street
Bountiful displays
Of paintings, photos, and jewelry

Harvesting mem’ries
To be placed on a shelf
Iconographic images
To be hung on a wall

Seasonal tourists
Perusing the assemblage of art forms
Silver reflections
To be hung on a chain ‘round the neck

Residents abjuring
Then retreating to their apartment
Enjoying the day
After the luxury of their hometown street fair

Summer Days

Languid days
Hammocks and lemonade
Watercolor paintings
Of lakes and waterfalls
Mystery novels under a tree
In the shade of a canopy of elms
Children running through lawn sprinklers
Or diving off cliffs into deep blue waters
Picturesque images of childhood fantasies
Playing through the mind’s eye
Like a stereoscopic slide show in slow motion
Cool breezes summoned as birds fly overhead
Wings spread in majestic harmony
As they scan the ground for food
Trout jumping in a nearby lake
Darting among rocks and evading anglers
Orange sunrise and pink sunsets
A cornucopia of color and a festival for the eye
A time for reverie and a repast for the soul
Taken by the hour and by the day
During the time known as summer