OH WHERE IS SUMMER GOING?

Oh where is summer going?
Faster than a downhill cyclist pumping broken brakes
Faster than an executive jet late for a business meeting
Faster than a rocket on its way to the moon.
Where is summer going?

Oh I know this topic is boring,
Worn threadbare through centuries of over-use by cold Canadians
But I still want to know
Where the summer is going.

One day you’re coaxing the first tulip out of the ground
The next you’re pulling up the spent, exhausted pansies.
One day you scream in total ecstasy
Outside in just a sweater and no mittens.
The next you’re searching vainly for that sweater
Under sandals, flip-flops, soaker hose, sunscreen, bug spray.
One day you’re picking out tomato plants
Trying to recall which one Lois Hole recommended
The next you’re steaming in the kitchen,
Up to your ears in fresh tomato casseroles.

Oh how I love the days that fly untethered
On a race track between planting and harvest
I want more barbecues with sizzling meat and vegetables,
More cold salad suppers nobody has to cook,
More evenings out on crowded restaurant patios
More chilled frothy beers, frozen margueritas, dripping Popsicles, leaky ice cream cones.
More going out to festivals, more spending time at home.
More fragrant gentle evenings, sleepy afternoon siestas,
More perfect sunny mornings blogging on the veranda.

I love to complain about summer
Sweaty moments at the office
The Flowerpots drying out too quickly,
Shivery air-conditioned buildings,
Nights with noisy humming fans.
Showers threatening family picnics,
Muddy toes from stepping in puddles
After raging thunderstorms.

And I want to hold on to summer
Celebrating every moment,
Cataloguing every memory,
To keep me warm next winter.
Sometimes I really like winter
But I never try to hold on to it.