PRAYER FOR SUMMER

 

Blue Hydrangeas after a Rain

This is the time when air lies like wool,

Birdsong falters, and blue hydrangeas beg for rain.

These are days when bare feet blister, dry leaves curl,

And even reptiles hide from the sun.

These are the evenings we bless the thunder, thank the lightening,

And wait for a moment to open the sash.  

When we pile our hair and look for a breeze,

Praising the plants that survived the heat, the slugs, the deer. 

This is a night when we thank the Heavens that opened today,

For the squirrel (even the squirrel) and birds at the feeder, 

For the rat snake (even the rat snake),  

And the gulleys (even the gulleys) left by the rain. 

Thank God for July and its juiciness,

Peaches to savor, corn to slather, tomatoes to slice.

Rosemary and mint that never stop spreading and season our food.

Crickets and frogs in counterpoint. 

This is our duty, to protect one another, 

Our planet, the sea and the land, 

And all that walks or flies or crawls or swims.

All that grows and needs our help sometimes.

May we be worthy, may we be wise, may we be kind.

AMEN