Summer Secrets
two summer girls
in swinging wrap work-skirts
pause
from Polish nursery songs
to check the child's eyes
two brown hands
open the ice chest
(behind the laundry and under the Douglas Fir)
to extract two cold secrets
then past climbing boys
and digging men
a solemn march
to the kitchen where
sunlight bleaches dishes and
lifeless laundry
two summer girls
in silence
climb down the steep hill
past the artichokes
and tomato house
under the hearty kiwis
and elephant heart plumbs
with careful barefoot steps
two summer girls
walk over the willow and bramble of the peninsula
to a place where
soft hay steams in the sun and bog water
two summer girls
stretch four legs
four eyes meet
as fingers pull slow plastic in half
exposing
ice cream dream come true
sweet secret treats
na zdrowie
the hot day melting into memories
of cold night northern lights
dancing in the dark to campfire heartbeat drums
cool cream extinguishes every sense
and cross legged girls lick wrist-wrapped rivers
tongues turn chocolate cracked caps
in mouths between
stories of old acquaintances and abortions
two summer bodies strong and sticky
lay back into the hidden nest
to take a full body breath
and then
over the talking of the table saw
the child's cry
calls two summer girls
away from their winter wonderland.
©2008 Hillary Swanson. All rights reserved.