Poems ▸ What Is Summer?

What is Summer?

A cloudless azure sky as far as the eye can see
Swallows darting through the air and gentle hum of bees
The scent of roses, lavender and pinks on the breeze
As I sit in my garden, that is summer to me.
For young children going to the beach is a perfect day
Building castles on warm sand beneath a golden sun
Splashing in and out of the clear water is such fun
Licking ice creams whilst watching sailing boats in the bay.
The older generation remember summers past
Especially those of the Second World War years,
When many women worked on the land hiding their fears
For their men by toiling long hours bringing in the harvest.
Some people enjoy trekking across the open moors
Striding through heather and gorse or climbing a tor
Others play tennis or cricket hoping for a good score
Or ride all the roller coasters at Alton Towers.
Why is it when we think of favourite summer days
It is glorious weather with not even a haze
Yet in reality clouds often hide the sun’s face
With rain and lightning chasing thunder in an angry race.
When this happens we must close our eyes and pretend
We’ve been transported to where we want to be, then
It can be summer any time in our dreams
For life doesn’t always have to be how it seems.

Anon