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SUMMER'S PROMISSORY NOTE

Option #5 Poem Written for “Half Past Summer, Two Months 'Till Fall Poetry Contest,” Andrea Dietrich, sponsor.
SUMMER'S PROMISSORY NOTE
Summer: I relish its tastes, smells, and sounds:
     the sweet tartness of wild plums,
          the intoxicating fragrance of honeysuckle, and
               the smell of freshly mowed grass.

I am content, almost complacent with the abundance of summer days.
     Urgency soon replaces my complacency,
          *for summer seems like a promissory note—signed in June
               those long days quickly spent—due to be repaid come September.  

*Hal Borland originally coined the phrase “summer is a promissory note.”  He was one of my father’s favorite authors. Pop introduced me to Hal’s books and writing during the summer of my 11th year. I found Borland's books rich with wisdom and imagery and, as such, still remember many of Hal’s words and phrases, sometimes thinking they are my own. 

Hal was an American writer, journalist, and naturalist. In addition to writing many non-fiction and fiction books about the outdoors, Hal was a staff writer and editorialist for The New York Times. (source: Wikipedia)

Copyright © Sara Etgen-Baker | Year Posted 2025

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