Longest Day

Longest Day

More minutes to pirouette
upon this illuminated stage,
another sonnet rhyme to write,
a prolonged melody to sing
these moments
when the sky is a silken sheet
of cyan pale —
 
O Summer!
I am bewildered by the calm of palms
rested upon my knee,
absence of shoulder shivers,
your fragrant warmth embraces me
like a prismatic pashmina
while I wander through grass and flowers
of field and forest —

Give me these hours
while the albescent sun
hovers
over tallest mountain peaks,
let me drink of the madness of colors,
scarlet wine of roses,
tea green leaves,
punch of hibiscus pink,
pineapple,
purple grape —

When I have quenched my thirst
and the laughter fades into a silent smile,
let me bask just a little bit longer
in lambent daylight
before the shortest hours of twilight  
hasten to arrive.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by Wiolette Plonkowska @ Unsplash

Late August

Late August

icy warmth of late August
the wind has quenched the fires
of ephemeral dandelions,
beryl drops of blood
trickle down the boughs,
return
to their invisible roots —

the cambric air is drenched in
honeysuckle fragrance,
stealthy leaves
flavescent
among the pink petals.

D. G. Vachal © 2013, 2024

Image by Jesper Norkenborg @pixabay

Morning Rain

Morning Rain

Morning rain and I think of you again
when lavender light breaks open
the ebony sky—

bridal veil envelops the garden air,
magenta myrtle blooms skyward,
powder blue hydrangeas speckle
the moist ground,
scarlet geranium petals blaze
against the sea-green mist—

subtle
are the days
when seasons turn,
yet still
no matter the peculiar moments,
when morning rain arrives
I think of you again.


D. G. Vachal © 2024


Image by Draconian Images @pixabay

Our Love is Summer’s Fullest Day

Our Love is Summer’s Fullest Day

awaken with willow warblers at dawn,
pastel ribbons upon dewy grass,
half-awake, half-forgetting dreams
the night before —

faint morning hunger that must be fed,
pearls of light glinting through the windows,
coffee percolates, aroma of baked bread,
warmth served on a round table —

the afternoon oxen plow the hardened soil,
sweat upon the brow, blackbirds
bicker as bees
fierce hunger under the heightened sun —

when cools the twilight down,
softer the laughter and the sighs,
content to hunger at suppertime
our love is summer’s fullest day.

D. G. Vachal © 2024

Image by Guvo59 at Pixabay

Silence Among the Lilies: A Summer Sonnet

Silence Among the Lilies:  A Summer Sonnet

She walks in silence among the lilies
dressed in white against the purple twilight
as verse and chapter fade into the night,
lost chords of song, unfinished symphonies,
jigsaw puzzles of life’s perplexities —
time to let go what once was held so tight
let darkest hours await for gleams of light
when morning breaks with possibilities.

I bask in the linen warmth of summer
rejoicing with the creatures of the field
on a warm July I will remember
when doors closed shut, familiar pathways sealed
I look to topaz days of November
to start anew, heart’s joy will I not yield.

D. G. Vachal © 2024

Image by Ox Coffe @pixabay