Chamomile

This afternoon
between thunderstorms
I picked the chamomile.
It hangs from the ceiling 
in the back porch.
Someday soon
I will drink it.

On the fence
beneath a plum tree
a spaghetti squash vine is climbing.
The plump white fruits of that vine dangle there 
a few feet off the ground
like netted beluga whales.

On the front porch
the wooden barrels that hold the yellow flowers
have turned into unofficial graveyards.
The heat has killed my pansies.

The chickens napped in my snow peas yesterday.
I’m quite miffed with them.
Despite their most pleading clucking
I will not let them out of their coop.
They were flightless to begin with but now
they’re grounded.

This morning
when I went to a friend’s house for coffee
I took her the gift of four freshly laid eggs.
Two white.
Two brown.
They made her happy.

Now the wind comes again.
The plum trees are bowing down.
I’ve opened a window to let the cool in.
The staccato of rain against the windowpane
matches the beat of my summer heart.
It’s still working fine
though it’s slightly detached.
Pizzicato.

Comments

  1. calamityjane(t) says

    you are every inch the artist.
    it's stunning, really.

  2. Desiree Fawn says

    "They were flightless to begin with but now
    they're grounded."

    You are so clever — I LOVE this.

  3. thebearaffair says

    They just wanted to get cool, Mommy:O)

  4. Nancy*McKay says

    …i could read you over & over & over again…& then again…i do…

  5. Love this picture!!

    Its cool,,
    🙂 Annaleena

  6. mme. bookling says

    Sometimes I struggle to remember that you are real…you are so other. I miss you. As my life's soil seems to continually fall out from under me, I crave the roots and substance of the gables and my dear friend.

  7. sylvestris says

    BOOK.

    x
    D

  8. The Noisy Plume: says

    Janet: Loveliest compliment ever. Thank you.

    Fawn: HEE HEE!!!

    Sal: You're right. I know. I'll be gentle on them and I might even let them out today!

    Nancy: Thanks for not getting bored!!! 🙂 xx

    Hem: Why thank you!

    Mme: The Gables craves you back. And so do I.

    D: I'm on it like Flin Flon-it. x

  9. my mind's eye is swimming in perfect imagery…
    you never fail to paint a beautiful picture!