turns toes blood red,
black seeds spit
like June bugs, dead.
Chicken legs,
wax paper covered
deviled eggs
on back porch
newsprint table spread.
Croquet weapons,
badminton birds,
mosquito bite wounds,
scratched and bled.
Lidded jars of fireflies,
and sparklers scorch
our tired skies, until
a course of giant stars
stirs bursting pride,
to fight the heart,
force bias out
and melt the hate,
like ice cream
on a sultry plate.
willow, 2009
Best wishes
for a safe and happy 4th of July
Perfectly wonderful, Willow.
ReplyDeleteloved this so much...
ReplyDeletei have missed you..
it's good to be back, my friend
kary
xxx
Delightful. Absoltely Delightful Willow, as always.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words describing an occasion I've never been to and now feel I have been due to your words.
ReplyDeleteYour words are laden with a sense of the exotic! And loved that final image of icecream on a "sultry plate"!
ReplyDeleteI think you covered it all.
ReplyDeleteHappy almost 4th of July!
Happy 4th July willow. Love your words, I get the feel of the day of celebration from them.
ReplyDeleteNational holidays do seem to 'force bias out and melt the hate' - it's sad that it doesn't take long for it all to come back to some though.
A wonderful poem for the fourth. Here's to melting the hate. Happy Holiday...
ReplyDeletesounds like a wonderful fourth...hope you and yours have a great one...and love the new header...think i might just be able to come out of the dark with this magpie...smiles.
ReplyDeleteYou really capture the 4th of my imagination.
ReplyDeleteWishing you lots of tasty "ice cream on a sultry plate" for the 4th!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure all Aussies join me in wishing you all a joyful national day!
ReplyDeleteCharming poem, Willow, it was a joy to read. Wishing you a wondrous 4th July :)
ReplyDeletejust beautiful. love the idea of the "sultry plate." Happy fourth. Really like the new header, but really liked the old one, too.
ReplyDeleteWillow you are a talented lady. The way you tie your words together in every poem is always so inspiring. This one was chalk full of imagery and wit with just a sprinkle of pride and nostalgia. From beginning to end it is a wonderful piece of art. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletewillow i read this twice - i skimmed the depths the first time through and then really savoured the words and the images on the second. you are such a creative insightful person!!! have a lovely evening at the manor. steven
ReplyDeleteoooooo! Give me ice cream on a sultry plate! The rhythm of this is amazing, and the ending divine.
ReplyDeleteI love the nostalgia your Magpie evokes.
"Lidded jars of fireflies and sparklers scorch our tired skies". Loved this! Never having seen them, fireflies intruige me. Greetings from Down Under, to wish you a very happy 4th July Willow.
ReplyDeleteAnd to you!
ReplyDeleteI love that final "sultry".
Well done, Willow. Hope you have a happy holiday!
ReplyDeleteOooooh,-- well done, Willow! Al the things that come to my mind for this holiday. That's perfect. I love the photo, too! Wishing you and your family a wonderful 4th of July!
ReplyDeleteAnd the very same to you and yours! Wax paper?? Happy July 4th!!!
ReplyDeleteThis poem is beautiful as always. Love your new layout! Happy 4th to you. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're good.
ReplyDeleteyour 4th of july is the kind of celebration I like! :) nice job!
ReplyDeleteCould there be a more fitting tribute to pride, spirit and tradition? I don't think so!
ReplyDeleteI love that photo and the poem with it. Happy 4th to you, too!
ReplyDeleteYour poem sounds like a great old fashioned fourth of July get together. Hubby and I got an ice cream maker for the first time, we will see how that goes.
ReplyDeletePerfect. I want to memorize those last three lines.
ReplyDelete(It's sort of like:
MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR.)
Love the sultry plate, and warmth and sizzle of your Magpie. Always a treat, always delicious.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th to you!!
That was great! -- barbara
ReplyDeleteyep.....great
ReplyDeleteI feeling patriotic and ready for the party! Love the cadence of the poem. It has a bit of pop and crackle to it. Happy 4th.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th July to everyone on the other side of our mutual pond.
ReplyDeleteBisou, Cro.
Wonderful. A safe and happy 4th to you and yours.
ReplyDeletenice post!
ReplyDeleteDevilled eggs on newsprint..nice relaxed touch.A few buzzing flies hovering over blobs of mayonnaise would have been good:)Enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteHappy Fourth of July Weekend, Willow!
ReplyDeleteIt feels strange celebrating the Fourth outside the States, I always miss the picnics, the first white peaches, the concerts at the mall (I remember the Beach Boy flap by President Regan's Interior Minister, the one with the Silver Foot), the fireworks, everything.
At least it is a Sunday this year, which makes it feel a bit more festive even here.
Awesome poem! you captured the thrill of being a kid on the 4th of July. I loved the bit about the watermelon too, I can totally relate. Comparing the seeds to bugs was a twist I really liked too. Great writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Willow, and the same to you
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th of July!!!
ReplyDeletegreat poem!
loveNlight
Gabi
Great! The header photo is like nature's tiny fireworks and they never fizzle out, they just float away and grow new ones.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jill, you know I thought the very same thing about the dandelion being so much like a firework!
ReplyDeleteHappiest fourth to you, too, Willow! Shalom.
ReplyDeleteA perfect poem to usher in a joyful holiday! Happy 4th of July to you, Willow!
ReplyDeletedeviled eggs and chicken legs just my kind of day! Happy Fourth!
ReplyDeleteThis is just the essence of the the day! You have identified all that is SUMMER and the Glorious Fourth! I am a red, white, and blue kind of patriot, and making a copy of this on some Independence Day stationery for all at the Cottage to see! I hope that is ok? Thank you in advance! {{{wink}}}
ReplyDeleteFireLight, of course you may! I'd be very honored, indeed, dear friend. Happy 4th to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteDear Willow: This poem is AWESOME! I feel like I have just been to your place, to your life, and have spitting contests with those watermelon pits. I love how you used the image of the dead "june bug" thank goodness those things bite and they should be dead by now; it's JULY!!! Love the richness, like I am watching a movie I am in as well! Here is the stanza that brought it all back for me;
ReplyDelete"Lidded jars of fireflies,
and sparklers scorch
our tired skies, until
a course of giant stars"
Except I had frogs in those jars (admitted Frog collector), but I would never do what the boys did with those frogs on Firecracker Day! Happy Independence Day USA!!!
your poem is as spectacular as the holiday's fireworks!!!
ReplyDeletethank you and back at ya!!!!
You've captured the essence of pride and celebration in your words. Happy Red, White and Blue to you!
ReplyDeleteYou have perfectly captured the essence of Independence Day. Enjoy your colorful stars falling from the sky. Happy 4th to you and the family : )
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful form you've created! Have a happy 4th of July!
ReplyDeleteOh how I miss fireflies! Many a summer days and nights have been just as you described for me as a child. Have a wonderful 4th Willow!
ReplyDeletePerfect description of a Fourth celebration Willow...especially the mosquito bites.....Happy Fourth...bkm
ReplyDeleteNice - perfect for the long Fourth of July weekend.
ReplyDeleteDarling Willow have a wonderful Fourth of July. This was Great.
ReplyDeleteyvonne
This DOES take me wayyyy back to the time when the whole clan would gather at our house--the farm. And Uncle Bill did the fireworks!
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written, Willow, and faithfully described. Even the fireflies, and the melting resentments (chocolate, of course!)
What is AAOOAAWG...?
sign me: STEWPID
so perfectly said....
ReplyDeleteI love this, I love it! I love it forever. The rhyme scheme is ON-KILTER. So to speak.
ReplyDeleteI hereby hum anthems.
I thoroughly enjoyed your poem Willow. Happy Fourth to you.
ReplyDeleteIce cream on a sultry plate... Nice!
ReplyDeleteI loved the flow, the choice of words were well thought of.
ReplyDeleteAAOOAAWG! Oh! how red-faced am I, but I'm used to being embarrassed!
ReplyDeleteAnd also (thank You God!) i got to read your old-fashioned 4th of July poem again. That summer-plated ice cream must be really melted...since the words you wrote one year ago.
Would that all the hatreds and misunderstandings would be so melted by now--but, well...AAOOAAWG--grin!
wow-summertime memories!
ReplyDeleteLidded jars of fireflies
ReplyDeleteour tired skies,
and melt the hate,
like ice cream
on a sultry plate.
Willow, these words that make me feel more than what they seem to say...[deep sigh]
Sorry, I got lost and finally found my way to your magpie entry. How silly of me.
My 4th poem was very brief...yours, so beautifully, said it all. Blessings on our holiday!
ReplyDeletesame to you Willow, I hope you have a good one.
ReplyDeleteOnly this morning, I have found you. And I have enjoyed your site! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh Willow. Such a combination of dark and bright. Sad and sweet. And a little bit strange. I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteHello Willow,
ReplyDeleteI recollect seeing something similar to this within your pages. If it is unaltered, it reads even better this second time! Are those fire crackers? I would not have known! Happy 4th.
willow, you created such perfect imagery i could almost feel the droplets of watermelon juice on my toes! lovely poem
ReplyDeleteHi Derrick, yes, you remembered right! I posted this piece last 4th of July, as well. It's basically the same, with a teeny tweak here and there.
ReplyDeleteShari, "...dark and bright, sad and sweet. And a little bit strange" describes me to a tee! I'm glad you like me. xx
ReplyDeletelooks like we shared similar 4th of July celebrations. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteYou are something else.... you have truly captured the 4th of July totally! Hope all of you there at Willow Manor have a great and sparklely fourth!
:) The Bach
deviled eggs, yummy!
ReplyDeleteperfectly captured.
This sums up the holiday perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI have the watermelon cut, now I need to make some deviled eggs..and your new cucumber salad!
Wonderful childhood memories here!
ReplyDeleteAnd a hearty Amen to melting the hate!
I love your summer poem.
ReplyDeleteHave A Happy 4th of July Willow.
ReplyDeleteI love the memories this stirs up for me, thanks!
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th!
I was just dropping in to wish you and yours the happiest Independence Day. May your day be full! May you enjoy laughter shared with family, great food shared with friends, fireworks to make you gasp, a lump in your throat at the anthem, and a full and grateful heart at all we have been given. Happy Fourth of July, my friend!
ReplyDeleteHi Willow! Wonderfully evocative poem! It reminded me of my own childhood summer days in Michigan. Thanks for sharing a bit of word magic with us.xx
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I love the visuals. Have a safe and happy 4th.
ReplyDelete"...melt the hate like ice cream on a sultry plate." What a nice ideal ending for a festive, hot, summer day!
ReplyDeleteRick
A Happy 4th July to you and yours and all your American readers.
ReplyDeleteLovely, WIllow. I have a smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th, Willow!
ReplyDeleteAnd I want to know all about that BBQ and the fireworks. ;-)
I love this. "Croquet weapons, badminton birds,.." Happy July 4th!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this. It gave me such a reminiscing feeling...Can't wait to see the fireworks tonight! Happy 4th
ReplyDeleteWillow, this is absolutely wonderful! You have captured my memories of the Fourth of July perfectly. Have a wonderful Independence Day and thanks for this beautiful piece.
ReplyDeleteHi Willow. I'm back in blogland after two great weeks in the backblocks of Spain.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my intermitteny posts.
Nicely captured celebration. We don't really have a close equivalent. We have our Australia Day which is largely BBQs in the heat of Summer, we don't have thje depth of symbolism of yours.
Wow. I can see the watermelon and the juice and the blood. Lovely!!
ReplyDeleteHmm... I hope my sultry plate doesn't mind being covered in ice cream. Of course, I'll let her return the favor. Heh...
ReplyDeleteYou write good and think deep.
ReplyDeleteWillow
ReplyDeleteA wonderful poem -- it reminds me of childhood and adulthood all mixed into one big melting pot.
Thanks for your continuing to host Magpie Tales you have been instrumental in bringing a community together of many talented souls.
Enjoy your 4th with your loved ones.
Joanny
Sums up many-a-4th celebration, I'm sure. Especially liked, "croquet weapons" (so true!), and that image (and sound it brought) of sparklers scorching the sky.
ReplyDelete- Dina
Delicious piece - each word has a perfect taste!
ReplyDeletewonderful!
ReplyDeleteSo nice!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy this. You capture so well the wonders and magic of the holiday fourth. 'Melt the hate...like ice cream on a sultry plate.'
ReplyDeleteLike ice cream on a sulty plate--LOVE that willow. you are very talented indeed.
ReplyDeleteVery descriptive. Love it.
ReplyDeleteLoved the sumptuousness of this poem - I could taste and feel what you were writing. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteLoved the sumptuousness of this poem - I could taste and feel what you were writing. Lovely.
ReplyDeletewell done willow! well done.
ReplyDeleteLove your poem willow! Hope your 4th was the best!
ReplyDeleteI really really liked this! It reminded me of so many 4th picnics over the years.
ReplyDeleteHope your 4th was a good one.
exactly.
ReplyDelete