Swallowtail Summer

On Swallowtail wings she rides,

Floating along streams in the air.

Down hills of sun-warmed grass she glides

And wanders along forgotten trails.

She whispers secrets in my ear

Of melodies I can hardly hear.

She rattles a stand of cornstalks,

Brittled by the drying wind,

And listens in on late-night talks

Till harmonies of cicadas ring,

Humming their lazy lullabies.

She plays hide and seek with shadows

As dusk closes sleepy eyes.

She dances with long-limbed willows

Until summer air grows thin;

Then blushes along maple leaf edges

While August slips away and September tiptoes in.

by Heather J. Willis (and an anonymous co-author)