In Winter... I Think Of Summer Poem by David Whalen

In Winter

I think of summer…
Of feverish glow
Of summer sunburn…
Of sunshine seined
Through disordered trees…
Of summer sun
The color of
Undercooked egg yolks
cool and warm
Both at once…
Of growing tree roots
Gently tilting sidewalks
And warm raindrops forming
Crystal necklaces
On the nape of the wind…
Of haloes round the moon
And rain rings on the river…
Silvered, tranquil surface, dimpled
By frogs, fry, and turtles…
Moss…
dark as old meringue
Draped close up
To cat tails…in their turn
Bearing the bright blossoms
Of red-winged blackbirds…
The rich melange
of manure and clover,
Faery rings of toadstools
Of butterflies and bumblebees…
The feel of air as thick
As a wool blanket, rasping
Upon one’s skin…
Roseate warm sunrises
Seasoned with the pepper
Of starlings…
Of lightning veined thunderclouds
And lingering images, blood red
Fading to black… strobing
Through closed eyelids…
Of hair shimmering
With unholy highlights
In the high heat
Of the summer sun…
In winter I think
At times…of Spring
And at times of Fall…
In summer
I think of winter slumber
…yet in winter…
I think of summer…
most of all