Rachael Z. Ikins

Sumac nudges a paw
into my hand. Soft panicle, surprising
warmth, weight, a toddler after candy.

Macraméd ropes, braids of insect song,
weave tapestries, toss, flutter in the wind.
August air, weighted with so much music, tangles.

Blackberries burgeon. Slender branches´ freight--
peach-fuzz, apple promise, blush faint
on green cheeks.

Sweetness of rotting leaves perfumes the air,
flowers remembered, dreams forgotten.
Grass just mown, dense scent of gasoline, my father.

Sun moves, sky blues, intense hue.
Sumac shadows stripe mouse burrow,
snake den. I suck crisp red seeds, nipped

with my front teeth. Tart surprise, like lemonade.
Summer turns her face toward autumn.