24 Seasons: Geshi 夏至 (The Summer Solstice) No. 41

24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 41

The Summer Solstice (June 21 – July 6) Geshi 夏至

"This week: Your writing invitation is to choose one of the 24 Forms for your poem. You can use the kigo words and phrases from the Part I challenge post HERE, or you can use the phrases I’ve created... Use one kigo phrase in each of your three poems in whatever order you’d like."

I chose "summer celebrations" and "melons" from Colleen's phrase list, and "ants" and "evening primrose," found here.  Yes, four instead of the requested three. Three haiku and a tanka.  The tanka is a true memory.  As a child, in the cool of the summer evenings my father would call to me, "The Oenothera is opening!"  I'd come running to watch the papery petals slowly unfold as we watched, standing side by side. 

A dry time of year

these summer celebrations

fireworks rain down hot

anticipation

juice dribbles cool down my chin

Hermiston melons

ants search for moisture

trailing across the carport

single-file bloodhounds

 evening primroses

memory of long ago

the cooling garden

and my father's voice calling

"Oenothera opening!"

©2024 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved

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