Paintbrushes

Of A Summer Morning

 By Elece Hollis

Out in the fields where meadowlark goes,

Bright paintbrushes stand on the tips of their toes.

Butterflies––yellow ones, white, orange, and black

Weave melodies over the grasses and back.

 

Out in the woods where the tanager sings

Luna moth travels on gossamer wings.

Timid mouse peeps from his leafy retreat

Looking for wild winterberries to eat.

 

Down by the swift river’s warm sandy shore,

Sandpipers skitter about to explore.

Waterbugs dart across sparkling blue

Where sunlight reflects the skys silvery hue.

 

Deep in the forest’s cool shadowy rooms,

Mosses cling staunchly to fallen tree tombs.

Gray squirrels hold conference on nutting technique

With Jack-in-his-pulpit preparing to speak.

 

Out in the pasture where cows gentle graze,

White egrets stalk silently through summer days.

Grasshoppers balance––on hot grasses sway

To the melodies blackbirds and barbed wire play.