GAZEL TO A BYGONE SUMMER

Summer has passed, the sorrows remain
On lips the imprints of kisses remain

Over time the starry nights have grown sparse
Colder months and grayer days remain

Blackberry stains are wiped from fingers
Skinned and scabby knees remain

Of love's promises, of poetry
Fragments of verse, worn-out words remain

The birds migrated to the south in flocks
Behind them the sick and weak remain

Impatiens affronted, hydrangea miffed
Seas of a darkened blue remain

Summer has passed, but if passed, how long
In hearts bygone summers still remain