We have reached Summer Solstice, the point in time when light has fully overtaken the dark. It is now when the sun begins to shift the journey of its arc. Each new day sunlight shines its brightest but begins to linger less. The birds and animals are busy with new life. Fields of crop, orchards, and arbors are approaching their peak of growth. This time of transition is a time of bustle and fullness for all — animals, plants, and us.
As we all enter this realm of dimming, earth’s coming bounty begins to swell to brimming. Hearts fill with a sense of possibility. The long days and warm nights bring a spirit of freedom. Love and laughter fill the air. Even as earth’s daily light grows ever less, the harvest strides towards its readiness. Smiles blend with the toil and anticipation. It is a time of joy, and this year, a critically needed time of personal evaluation.
faint the dimming of the light
days loll long — hearts bright
rob kistner © 2021
Poetry at: dVerse
https://youtu.be/nCznAtGjlkQ
I like the lyrical quality of the prose and your focus on joy.
Thank you Jenna… 🙂
I especially like the haiku.
Thank you Maggie!
Nice using the haiku and rhyming with a wonderful accompanied narrative.
Thank you Tom…
I can see you reworking this into another form.
There’s a lot here, and this:
“As we all enter this realm of dimming, earth’s coming bounty begins to swell to brimming” with it’s seeming contradiction says so much about this time of year.
Life is filled with seeming contradiction — yin and yang.
I feel like I’ve just gotten used to longer days! Somehow, the Summer Solstice always comes too soon, and too quickly, for me! Your montage to it is a beautiful thing, indeed!
Thank you Frank! 🙂 Yes, just as soon as the light gully arrives, it begins to leave.
Absolutely superb, brother. Terrific prose, rife with facts and feelings. I am a little tired of daylight at 4:30am. As noted, your haiku is killer. This is another prompt perfection from you.
Thank you Glenn! I am just glad the processor still computes… :’
You are truly gifted with words. I enjoy the longer summer days it lifts my spirits and allows for more time outside. Summer to me is a time of growth and that growth will help when the sun tilts in the fall.
Wonderful haiku!
Thank you True. 🙂 I truly hope this summer proves to be a time of growth, in so many important ways
Beautifully written!
Thank you Lucy!
wonderful write
Thank you Rog, very much! 🙂
A truly joyful haibun Rob – my favourite time of year for all the reasons you describe above!
Thank you Ingrid! 🙂
This line did it for me, Rob. That’s how I’ve been feeling too.
<3
David
Thank you David, for grasping the important additional layer to this piece — this year, a critically needed time of personal evaluation. So so important! We need to harvest a much better self heading on from this chaotic year and a half. We all have some way(s) we can “grow” ourselves!
a nice positive spin on the season
Felt some positive was due us after last year — and a bit of critical personal evaluation.
This is definitely a brighter solstice than the last one! Wonderful evocation of summer.
What a difference a day makes, yes Kerfe!
Sweet haibun, Rob. Feel the summer sunshine through your words.
Thank you K… 🙂
You’ve captured the joy of productivity. A wonderful post and tribute to Nature.
Thank you Susan!
Just the words “Oh, Joy!” are enough to uplift the spirits, and your haibun is an added plus, topped by a perfect haiku. What more can we ask?
Thank you Bev… 🙂
There’s something magical about midsummer’s night even when it’s cloudy and stormy. The mid point of the year, and the start of the slide back into winter…
And hopefully Jane, a slide “up” to a better self, better community, better nation, better world! Gawd knows we and those need to be better!
We must be able to relax and enjoy now when nature is at its brightest.
Absolutely Bjorn, relax, peacefully take stock, remember what’s beautiful — but do not regress… instead, rise!
“a critically needed time of personal evaluation.”
Most definitely Tzvi…!
The internal rhyme in your prose is subtle, but very effective.
Thank you Ken. I enjoy employing it when possible. The poet and lyricist in me often can’t help it. Even in my free verse poetry, it is fun to flavor with a bit of rhyme.
Love the internal rhyming, and especially the haiku.
Thank you Sara! This was a fun one to write… 🙂