Midsummer

An hour into full light, I walk from my house forcing grasshoppers to blossom in reds and yellows and then deflect out over the sun-warmed expanse.  The distant mountains have become solid jade and the upper sky has become steel.

As a young boy, I longed for these long hot days.  I wanted to chase through the heat with a stick or fishing rod in hand.  I wanted the sun to stand there forever, pressing warmth into the creek waters and forest shadows.

Today, I worry about the invasion of exotic weeds and wildfires.  I think of retirement accounts and friends vanished on the horizon.  I reflect on the bounces in my life that brought me here.  I pause, trying to determine what it means that a television show I watched last night featured five young, well-known celebrities that I have heard nothing about.

 

For the first time in my life, I think my mind is full. 

--Mitchell Hegman