July 4

July 4, 2016

by C

comments 4

poetry

A cool cloudy morning,
leniency after the weekend’s

heat. A dog throws itself
down the ravine

in pursuit of a ball,
the neighbor

unleashes a cascade
of glass bottles

getting ready
to pack up the house.

All day in the mountains
yesterday, sweat, scree,

snow. Aching today,
a reminder, the summit

hard-earned, but elation
tempering the bite

of elevation,
and descent

always less benign
than we thought.

OPTIONAL POETRY