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Poetry Sunday: Midsummer by Arthur Sze

Sitting in my backyard today, I watched tiger swallowtails hovering over Russian sage and thought, "Didn't I read that in a poem?" I asked my friend, Google, and sure enough! There it was. Maybe my old brain hasn't deteriorated so much after all. "Neither you nor I can stop the planting of mines in a field or the next detonation," but at least we have poetry - and tiger swallowtails - to comfort us.

Midsummer

by Arthur Sze

Tiger swallowtails hover over Russian sage—
I smell eucalyptus where there is no
eucalyptus and locate summer in rain.
Like bats emerging out of a cave at dusk,
a thread of grief unfurls in the sky.
Neither you nor I can stop the planting
of mines in a field or the next detonation.
I unclog a drip line along a fence;
in May, lilacs arced over the road in a cascade
of purple blossoms. Now, stilled in a minute
of darkness, I listen to bamboo leaves
unfurl above into sunshine. Untangling
a necklace composed of interlocking
gold chains, then lifting it, I trace
joy, fear, bewilderment, bliss, a this
resplendent in my fingertips. I slip inside
a strawberry runner that extends root, leaf,
then stand in morning starlight and inhabit a song.

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Comments

  1. jabblogAugust 3, 2025 at 4:56 AM

    It is an honour to a writer when phrases take root in the memory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersAugust 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM

      To be able to write something memorable would be simply mind blowing!

      Delete
  2. David M. Gascoigne,August 3, 2025 at 5:35 AM

    People in power would do well to heed poetry and swallowtails.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lark@LarkWritesAugust 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM

    I love tiger swallowtail butterflies. :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlanaAugust 3, 2025 at 3:27 PM

    I've seen so few butterflies this year, and no swallowtails. It's one of the worrisome changes in nature that I've seen in recent years. I know Nature will persevere, and I agree 100% with David.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersAugust 3, 2025 at 5:41 PM

      I've seen fewer butterflies as well and it is indeed worrisome.

      Delete
  5. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzAugust 4, 2025 at 5:34 AM

    We have seen so many Swallowtails in our yard this year that I'm pretty sure they like something we have here---wish I knew what it is, but I don't think it's Russian sage.

    This is a lovely poem with a message I need to hear and remember.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersAugust 4, 2025 at 10:22 AM

      Swallowtails feed on many different kinds of blooms, so, if you've got a variety of blooms it's likely you've got something they like.

      Delete

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