Paint me a picture of summertime

Use pure azure blue for the sky and

Cotton-white for the clouds as they drift by.

Place scarlet watermelon slices, juicy and sweet

Upon a checkered picnic blanket 

Spread beneath the magnolia tree.

Set out tall, frosty glasses of sweet tea 

Or lemonade to quench our thirst

As sticky grape Popsicle juice trickles down my dusty arm.

Slip on your sandals or flip flops, grab some sunscreen 

And join me at the creek.

Bring a basket for the wildflowers and blackberries we’ll pick.

Cooled and refreshed, our skin bronzed and sun-kissed 

We’ll sit upon the shaded porch and enjoy the breeze

As the sun sinks low, painting the sky

Darkness gathers in the coming twilight        

And golden fireflies glow.

Sheila Parochka, a native Arkansan, has loved living in the Chesterfield area the past 12 years. She enjoys dabbling in the writing arts and sharing her work. If not writing or attending an open mic, she’s probably knitting, reading or biking.