I see the tulips in our yard
And I remember
When I used to be excited about spring
Spring meant summer was near
And summer meant time outside with you
Days frolicking in the sun
Evenings lounging in the sultry heat out in our yard
Me swatting mosquitoes
You not
Smells and sounds of summer
The scent of chicken on the grill wafting through the air
The grill that lies dormant now
The thump thump of you pounding wood into place
On whatever your latest project is
Fence, deck, enclosure, table, chair, container
The tinkling of your prized fountain
With the water spurting out of the heron’s beak
The roar of the lawn mower as you walk back and forth, back and forth
wearing your bright green ear protectors
Hot sun beating down on your arms and back
The tangy salty smell of your skin
When you come to me for a hug, dripping with perspiration
And you laughing as you throw your arms wide and say, Give me a little hug
And me smiling as I accept your taunt
And pull you in close
Sweat and all
And I say, Let’s take a swim – you need it
The sound of your antics in the pool
Every day you pretend to slip and slide down the incline into the deep center
Every day, you yell, Whooooooaaaaah!
And dip down beneath the cold water
And every day, I roll my eyes and laugh
Because you are such a nut
You are my nut
And every evening we sit under the gazebo drinking wine
And you say, We should sleep out here
And I say, Okay, let’s do it
And you say, We need a lanai, someday we’ll have a lanai
But we didn’t get a lanai
And we never slept out under the stars in our yard
And we never will
And seeing the tulips in our yard
Reminded me
I used to be excited about spring
Because spring meant summer was near
And summer meant time outside with you.
May 4, 2018
