Red beards of bee balm
burn in the low slant
of early morning sun.

Stretching from the shadows,
purple cones of butterfly bush
catch the angle of light
in the corner between the east porch
and the dining room.

Already,
a few bees work the blooms
and hummingbirds take turns at the feeder.

The morning air is cool,
inviting
in this after-passing of yesterday’s rain.

Steady drizzle
alternated with sessions of hard showers,
hours of rain coming in the way
that soaks into the ground,
leaving little run-off in fields and pastures,
a good refreshing for the crops.

In this the last week of July,
there is an unbelievable green that greets the eye,
a witness of mild heat and frequent rain.

The bed of roses
bursts with pink and red by the window.
Lilies bloom above the stone retaining wall.
Hostas gleam huge and green,
striped with white and yellow
beneath the overhanging shade of trees on the bank.

I sit for a few minutes longer,
indulging in this lavish beginning
of the day the Lord has made.

7/29/09