Poetry Friday: Summer Mowing

I've been reading summer poems at Poetry Foundation, and finding many lovely ones.  I love this one for the intimate picture of a father and son spending time together.  That's what my summer is about this year: focusing on moments with my family.  If I were looking at the world around me, I'd choose "things fall apart; the center cannot hold." Instead I'm deciding to enjoy this day and mow the part of the world where I can have an influence.  My mower may be a "makeshift contraption," but it's going to be a beautiful day anyway.

Summer Mowing

Jennifer Gray

 

He has transformed

his Tonka dump truck

into a push mower, using

 

lumber scraps and duct tape

to construct a handle

on the front end of the dump box.

 

One brave screw

holds the makeshift

contraption together.

 

All summer they outline

the edges of these acres,

first Daddy, and then,

 

behind him

this small echo, each

dodging the same stumps,

 

pausing to slap a mosquito,

or rest in the shade,

before once again pacing

 

out into the light,

where first one,

and then the other,

 

leans forward to guide the mowers

along the bright edges

of this familiar world.


Here's today's roundup.