Poems written while outside during the summer of 2023

Over the summer I took my writing outside and went analog, which meant I didn’t post much here but that’s okay. I was being present where my feet were and doing what I needed in the season of summer. As we approach the end of summer I thought it might be fun to share two of the poems I wrote on my front porch as the sun scorched and my boy played. 

Our Shadows

I love my morning swing

time with

my son in

our front yard.

“Mommy, please push me!”

he calls out

from the grass to me

on the porch.

I join him beneath

the trees

where the

swing hangs.

Cup of tea in

my hand,

I begin to

gently push him.

Forward and back,

creating the

slightest breeze

between us.

“Mommy, push me higher!”

he requests so

I set my tea

down in the grass and

I comply, using

both hands

to launch

him further into

The sky beyond

his toes,

his legs

outstretched ahead.

I watch our shadows;

his flying,

mine supporting

the rhythm

They create together.

A pendulum

movement we are

creating as one.

A comfort to us

as it brings

a predictable

yet exciting

Place for us to

come together,

trust each other,

and be present.

Even when my

shoulders hurt

or the sunshine

is hot on my back

I will always

get up

when he asks,

“Mommy, please push me.”

I wrote this a few days after learning of the tragic loss of a child in my community and was reflecting on how I respond when he calls out to me to engage or participate. A few days ago I heard Sally Clarkson speak and was again reminded that to respond with love takes “time, inconvenience, eye contact, and entering their world.” Sometimes it’s inconvenient to push him on the swing, or I want to spend my time reading my book, but I’m glad I have this poem to remind my why I enter this part of his world and get up and do it each time he asks.

Golden Season

Summer has always been
so sweet to me
with its long days
and brilliant colors.

Summer camp days
hiking the redwoods,
playing nation ball,
performing skits.

Aquatics Camp evenings
on the river
and lagoon
after a day on the water.

Trips to the lake
to camp and
spend nights around
the fire beneath the stars.

Jobs I loved
at camp and
college orientation,
gathering and welcoming.

Evenings on the
porch and patio
watching the
fireflies rise.

And now our summer days
give me space
to show my
son all this season offers.

We get to define
the terms with
open-ended play
and self-directed fun.

Quality time together
in the sun,
at the water’s edge,
in the lush landscape.

Summer is not an
escape or break;
it’s an extension
of all that we love.

I wrote this in response to two things. First, I live in the south, and inevitably the whining about summer begins before I’m annoyed with the heat and I always wish others could see summer through my eyes. The other response is to this idea we have to a favorite season, one we loudly proclaim on social media. I would love to be someone who can find gifts in each season. I don’t like being limited to the four options, instead I want to be allowed space to identify what’s great about each. Personally I find I love the transitions in and out of seasons to be my favorite parts. 

Originally posted 9/23/23 on old website