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August In the Meadow

An August sun shines on the meadow,
The goldenrod voicing their approval,
Waving their tall flags of flaxen yellow
Always profuse in bloom, never frugal,
Or shy in making themselves known
Among the late summer appearances
My lush verdant meadow is overgrown,
Paths having no unfettered clearances.

Dying vines now entangle the fencerow
Someone has sprayed a deadly herbicide
Not an unreasonable action, although,
Greatly affecting plants on the other side
Especially blooming milkweed and aster
Each provided nectar for the honeybee
Their roots spared, they return fast, ere
Hints of autumn tell the thrasher to flee.

August bears down hard on succulents
Browning for lack of a moisture to hoard.
How these strangers leapt the fence
And settled here strikes a curious chord.
Soon the vegetation will wilt and decay
Mother Nature says their time has come
Frost and bitter cold will have their say
I will yearn to walk on a clear spring day.

Written August 18, 2022

Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2022

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Caren Krutsinger Date: 8/20/2022 12:30:00 AM I love it that you took your meadow through every season, and let the reader prance along, envisioning this lovely scene! Login to Reply L Milton Hankins Date: 8/20/2022 9:22:00 AM I have really worn that meadow out, haven't I?

Tom Cunningham Date: 8/18/2022 1:02:00 PM I do like this time of year as summer fades and hints of autumn are everywhere, our heatwave is finally over but everywhere looks scorched. Tom Login to Reply L Milton Hankins Date: 8/18/2022 1:22:00 PM Thank you, Tom. It is really beginning to feel like autumn here in northern Kentucky. A bit early, too, I think. I remember this fee along about the third or fourth week in September, as I recall. Glad you are getting some relief.