Soft heaviness of summer
can’t disguise
the subtle signs
of change in the air.
Morning light
is slower to arrive.
Daylight fades earlier.
Hydrangeas in
riotous full bloom,
while the impatiens
show their gawky,
teenage growth.
Like squirrels,
we scamper from
one activity to another.
Grasping the warmth,
the daylight, the freedom,
before acorns litter the deck,
and the changes become
pronounced rather than subtle.