This summer, let there be light —
sunlight, starlight, delight
featherlight bags, lightsome days, a lightness
of being (best conjured when we are on vacation),
Let there be flashlights and fireflies,
campfires and fireworks,
Let us feel light.
Let there be play —
baseball games and frisbee
chalk art and bubble-blowing
swinging so high you could touch the sky
racing on your bike with the wind in your hair
and an open path with heat waves glimmering in the distance
and miles to go before you tire
Let us be carefree.
Let us add water —
the garden hose and the kiddie pool
sprinklers, splash pads and slip-n-slides,
Let us visit the creek, the beach, the pool,
Let there be cannonballs and splashing,
Let the tide lap against our toes and wash away our worries,
Let the water hold us, cool us, baptize us in grace.
Let there be feasting —
Let us grill hamburgers, mushrooms and pineapple
Let us twirl hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire
Let us taste a juicy bite of watermelon and revel in our sugar high
Let there be popsicles, ice cream cones and lemonade stands,
picnic lunches and coolers filled with Capri Suns and Coronas
Let us savor all summer has to offer us, let us give thanks for our abundance.
Let us feel content.
Let us be bored, and even a little lazy,
Let us trade our screens and work
for poems and novels and meditation,
live music and a little mischief
Let us scour the earth for four-leaf clovers and honeysuckle,
Let us count clouds and stars and rollie pollies,
Let the hours stretch like a dog dozing
in a sunbeam
Let us, too, drift off into a blissful nap
(preferably in a hammock),
Let there be rest.
Erin Strybis 