"summer had a sound..."

sitting on the porch
steps tonight,
waiting for everyone to
return from
concerts in the park,
grocery shopping,
a walk with a friend...

the quiet of
an early summer evening's
stillness was
peirced only by the
call of
tree frogs and cicadas
rising from
their long nap below
the roots of
dogwood,
magnolia,
and tall sweet gum trees...

the whirr and whisper of their
song seemed like a
vintage memory from
childhood...

without air-conditioning,
summer had
a sound that was as
unique as
a symphony

screendoors slamming,
the sound of ice cream trucks drifted closer,
and children calling
"all outs in on free"
rippled through neighborhoods as
fireflies appeared and bedtimes stories
were told to those who slept
on summer porches while the blades of
table fans sliced the humid air 
and glasses of sweet tea dripped
while ice melted next to
wilting mint leaves

sitting on our porch tonight
I could almost hear my
sister asking me to draw pictures
on her back while we listened
to the neighbors talk
on their front porch
through the
window screens above
our bed....

summer had a sound...

and tonight
I could almost hear it
in the song of
the cicadas

a divine reminder of
innocence,
childhood,
purity,
simplicity...

the things that
never
change...
and grace.