Summer Small Talk

painting by Frank Benson of his daughters

'Cross the summer meadows

Waft simple pleasantries,
Soft whisper 'tween the tall grass
And the passing breeze
Where crickets call to June bugs
And swaying willows sigh ---
Beguiling summer small talk
To charm the passers-by.

Round a rippling millpond
Rise murmurings of frogs
Who've gathered there to gossip
On old mossy logs.
And dabbling ducks go quacking
Amidst these duckweed sprays ---
Just idle summer small talk
To pass the time of day.

Chatty wrens and warblers
Commune in serenades,
Enchanting rustic rhythms
Eloquently phrased.
And to these summer places
I'm helplessly allured;
Enthralled by summer small talk,
I hang on every word.

~ Lon Myruski ~