Summer Long Past
by Auriel Michell

A gentle breeze begins to blow
In from countless miles of open sea
I feel a nip, a little chill
Fall must be coming fast.
There was a time when the warmth of your hug
There was a time when the warmth of your hug
Would shield this chill from me
Yes, that was in a summer long past.
Quickly memories flood my mind
My heart that pounded louder than the surf.
Where did it fail?
What went wrong?
Harsh words maybe, tempers unrestrained.
You never said,
I'll never know.
Maybe we cared too much, too hard
Or maybe there was not enough appreciation
Or all those little expressions of love.
Oh for a time during that summer long past
We had it all during endless days, and nights.
Now I sit here and watch OUR ocean. . . Alone!
It never ceases, never stops, unlike love.
Now I use a woolen blanket to shield the cold,
It's beginning to rain, my memory yearns
No not for summer's long past; for the now
Filled with the tasks assigned tomorrow.
Still I pause and a warmth makes me quiver
As I remember
A summer, long, long past!

©  1985

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