Summer’s Still by M. Anne Alexander

Summer’s still

halting hot, but scarlet daisies,

spring all over this parched grass, and

tortoiseshell butterflies flutter around

them, and me, sheltering under a

wide-brimmed straw hat, hanging

row upon row of washing, making

the most of this sun to surmount

mountains of laundry left undone.

The children play, in a curtained room,

with wooden blocks and puzzles, while

these scarlet daisies and butterflies

shine all over what had been a garden

where those children played, before

driven out by this infernal heat.

As grasses and beans shrivel to seed

and apples, maggot-rid, fall, and

dried skeletons of forgotten paths

rise from flattened fields, while

roads, runways and rail tracks

buckle in this fiendish sun, will this

summer distil spirits that move us

to sing of times to come?

M. Anne Alexander 's poetry generally explores restorative themes, relating to landscapes with personal, historical and contemporary significance. She began writing poetry as an outcome of counselling, flourished as a member of the award-winning Enfield Poets, and soon became widely published. 'Summer's still' first appeared in Dreich Season 6, Issue 2.