© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Text:
third day near 100
all rational thoughts
sweated away
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705
Text:
Produce Section
Oh, the urge to stop and smell
a peach (and give it a squeeze).
You've been disappointed
in Junes past, so you settle for
one more pint of strawberries.
August you'll be tired of peaches,
but not yet ready for a hard pear.
Six months from now you'll accept
anything approaching ripeness.
A few weeks ago, in a post Covid gathering, there was a discussion of the proposed Juneteenth federal holiday. At least one person spoke up to say she had never heard of Juneteenth. If you, too, were unfamiliar with the holiday and want to learn more than has been presented in media snippets over the past week, start with this post from the Library of Congress.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Text:
Juneteenth
"how come I never
learned that in school?"
American minds may
yet be emancipated by
a proclamation of truth
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.
Text:
June strawberries
freshly plucked the scent
as heady as the taste
Text:
temperature in the 90s
spider runs up and down
the kitchen wall
where it finds the energy
I don't know, but I can't
stop watching it in awe
Text:
early June
the pear tree interlaced
with walnut-sized fruit
come September after
birds and squirrels feast
we'll be lucky to find three
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
Text:
it's been a year since
democracy
took a direct
hit of tear gas
the devil waved a bible
with
a look of defiance
who is left to pray