August had baked the soil, ripened the grain
Harvest had progressed uninterrupted
We laid on our backs
Shoulder to shoulder
The late-afternoon Sun pinned us to the parched lawn
The grass had stopped growing
A fortnight or more ago
Pale in leaf, sharp dry stems
Prickled the skin if we moved
She was watching the clouds
Really studying them
As if in all her past summer days
She had never before seen clouds
Teasing her mind’s eye
With suggestions of the familiar
Against a celestial sky
She said she saw a puppy
I opened my eyes to look
But could only see
The woman I love
CLP 23/08/2024
Journey of Words 