hot smell of almost summer
meadows heat up
near creeks
senses sent
swiftly downstream
into floodgates: memories

wild roses, ferns and honeysuckle
running through tall grasses
looking for leapfrogs, toads, snakes and salamanders
recalling: mud patches, bee stings
and stream beds

the great heron lifts up from
the river
flying further away
dreaming on a breeze filled
with the aroma of
childhood
summers spent
smelling
the quiet dark beauty, earth