Long Summer Evening

Monumental mountains
fade into silhouettes,
as pink clouds hover
above their rocky height.

This long summer evening
sends my invitation;
washes the skirts of trees
with soft, shimmering twilight.

Songbirds becoming silent--
must be seeking shelter
on a safe perch 
to spend the night.

Overhead, spotted briefly,
against the dimming light,
bats snatch flying insects
in erratic, fluttering flight.

Fireflies recognize their time 
to shine from dark hollows;
sending sporadic, short signals
pulsing bright.

Crickets crank up their
calibrated wing-rustle
from the entrance of their chambers;
a listener's delight.

This long summer evening
spatters the darkening sky
with early stars
as I begin to write.

© 2016 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

1. Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming 

2. Home Woods