It’s early Friday morning
by Elouise
It’s early Friday morning. Rain arrived
late yesterday evening breaking a short
oppressive heat wave. I have one hour
for a walk outside before the rain returns.
Morning smoothie safely tucked away,
I put on my rain gear and open the back door.
The rush of dense humid air assaults my lungs,
my face, and any part of my skin not covered.
It’s mid-summer. No rush of passing traffic
greets me as I turn left from our driveway.
No sidewalk here. Just a curb
and the sound of occasional tires
squishing over dark, damp pavement.
Quickly I turn left down a narrow side street
lined with neighborhood houses,
away from the flow of traffic to and from
wherever people go at this time of day
in midsummer.
I hear the sound of my shoes on wet pavement,
a few muffled voices inside a house or two,
and birdsong filling the air. Invisible waves of
of warm damp air magnify the chorus of bird calls
surrounding me from branches and treetops.
At the end of this short street I turn left
again headed toward more open spaces.
I’m now on a sidewalk, next to the grammar
school playing field on my right, and a church yard
just beyond. A white spire and white headstones
gleam beneath towering trees.
Turning right, between the school yard and
the church yard, I walk beneath trees still
filled with birdsong. Leftover rain and dew drops
fall rhythmically hitting damp ground
and empty parking spaces behind the school.
Circling around the school, toward a public park,
I start up the hill through another deserted parking lot.
My pace slows a bit. I notice
the dying hemlock now marked
with a large white X signaling the end
of its long fight against invasive insects.
Will it receive a proper burial?
A gleaming white headstone?
I circle another tree at the top of the driveway
then turn down a small path through
the park, back toward the school.
Tiny drops of water glitter on tips
of fir needles and low-hanging tree leaves,
brushing my face with cool water.
I turn left to walk behind the school, past
the athletic field on my way home. In the distance
I see the churchyard with its lush green trees.
The weeping beech towers next to rows
of white headstones rooted in earth,
soaking in summer’s gift of life-giving rain.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 14 July 2017
Image found at pinterest.com
What a pleasant walk that must be; do you do it often?
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Hi, Brian! Just back from the grocery store–trying to beat today’s tropical humidity. Yes, I do this route almost every day–with several variations. I love it. The special thing about yesterday was I got to walk in the morning because of the break in the rain. It’s my preferred time to walk, before 9am if possible. But the sun is up so early now, and the nasty UV rays are so powerful that I haven’t been able to do morning walks for a couple of months. By 6 or 7 pm the UV danger has past, and I go out then. It does wonders for my atty-tude! And my health. 🙂
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I’ve never worried about UV rays, I have very fair skin and burn easily, typical Pom; but it doesn’t deter me from going out when I want, I’d never get out if it did here in Australia.
Yesterday you miht say was slap bang in the middle of our winter, half way between 1st June and 1st Sept. and the temperature was in the low 20’s Celcius, beautiful and I wasn’t going to miss it, took Coco to the park and enjoyed the sun. Did you know I once lived in the Great Sandy Desert? Gets hot there 🙂 Preparing me for 👿
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Unfortunately, skin cancer, including malignant melanoma, runs in my family. I’ve already had benign and dangerous cancers removed from my face, neck arm, leg and more. No fun, though my vigilance for the last several decades has paid off. I just has three more nasties removed a couple of months ago. So…if you’re preparing yourself for evil (?), I just want to avoid the dermatologist’s knife! 😊
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I’m a member of that club too; I recently had 4 or 5 removed from my face, fortunately none were malignant. Comes from sunbathing and getting burnt to B…..y as a lad when I first arrived in Australia. One had to be tanned back then in the 1950’s and my fair skin didn’t lend itself to the suns rays very well.
I take it you have yours removed by burning off with that blast of freezing stuff that burns like Hades?
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Burned off, cut off, including one major Mohs surgery on my temple. Not fun! 😟
PS Having never been to Hades, I wouldn’t know…😊
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There’s always tie Elouise
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Yes I can tell it’s a pleasant walk as Brian said.
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It’s favorite part of each day, next to writing. Quiet, peaceful and beautiful no matter what time of year, provided I’m out there before school teachers, buses, children and taxi-parents begin arriving or leaving. School is out of session right now–summer break. I often meet interesting dogs and their humans, too! 🙂
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sounds like a peace filled walk ❤
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just what I needed….
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