Early Morning in July

Sitting on my back porch

with my pal, my fourteen year old pooch,

enjoying fresh morning air, hot coffee and the whiff of jasmine

thriving on a nearby trellis. I am almost in a trance

from the peacefulness that only these early mornings offer.

Red cardinals and other birds, maybe quails

or mourning doves, I am not sure exactly, entertain me.

So sweet they sing, then fly away. Much like love

that comes but doesn’t stay.

Beside me, Mary Oliver’s "Devotions," and a cellphone I am

determined not to touch.

Although this euphoria won’t last as the sun

begins to dominate the sky

causing heat and humidity to steal the moment,

it is perfect here now, in the early hours of July.

And I am getting lost in the solitude and simplicity of dawn.

Looking, listening, observing, as poets often do.

Red cardinals continue to appear,

and I wonder if my father and my brother

and all the kindred souls I have lost in my life

are making grand gestures.

Silly I know, but still, I imagine they are watching me,

reassuring me they are not only fine, but together, laughing,

loving, playing gleefully, in the dimension

where their spirits now reside.

© Melody Lee

Written July 7, 2018