SUMMER’S BIRTHSTONE

A priceless ruby is July,
set in a crown of yesterdays,
More precious when, as time goes by,
our memories fade like summer haze.

July gives graciously of gifts
that glorify the commonplace,
Replacing weeds with roadside drifts
of chicory and Queen Anne’s lace.

Wild berries ripen, black and sweet,
along the fence rows, down the lanes;
Their luscious drupelets gaily greet
and beckon with bejeweled canes.

Fireworks that dazzle, drinks that fizz,
and fragrant wafts of fresh-mowed lawn,
Are why July’s the gem it is . . . . .
the list grows longer---on and on.

When little lanterns of the night
begin to flicker, spark and glow,
The children chase the firefly’s light
and summer memories come and grow.

July’s a jewel whose brilliance stays,
safe in the prisms of the heart,
To brighten dark December days
when summer splendors must depart.

-- Helen Ewoldsen --2-2-02