Listening for Summer

Listening for Summer

“Out of her pastel green pitcher, spring is pouring forth summer, and I am listening.

Out of her youthful, energetic body summer is flowing, and I am listening.

I am listening.

I am listening to Earth leaning closer to the sun.

I am listening to the heat breathing through the gardens,

drawing life out of seeds,

calling plants to fruition,

whispering fulfillment to the flowers.

I am listening to the growing circle of life.

I am listening.

I am listening to the ripening

in the orchards,

in the vineyards,

in the garden,

in the grain fields.

I am listening to the ripening in my heart.

I am listening.

I am listening to the summer of my soul,

to the dance of life within me,

to the fruitful struggle of all that yearns for life,

to the perspiration that sweats out toxic poisons.

I am listening to the warmth of summer.

I am listening.

I am listening to the song of the gardener

bringing food to the table.

I am listening to the meadow’s promise

of winter hay for hungry cattle.

I am listening to Mother Earth growing wild.

I am listening.

I am listening to summer songs

of leisure and renewal.

I am listening to the sound of happy voices

playing on the beaches,

shouting at the ball games,

sharing stories on the porches.

I am listening to bare feet, laughter, and fishing poles,

to summer picnics and mosquitoes.

I am listening.

I am listening to the spaces in between the green.

I am listening to young birds testing out their wings.

I am listening to morning filling up with sunlight.

I am listening to the music of evening twilight.

I am listening to the night chant of a thousand tiny creatures.

I am listening.

I am listening to fruitfulness spilling forth from earth’s rich womb.

I am listening to happy potatoes growing round beneath the ground.

I am listening to the green cathedral of the forest,

to the stars that peep through summer branches.

I am listening.

I am listening to spring handing over summer.

I am listening for the poetry of summer.

I am listening.” –MACRINA WIEDERKEHR

Source: The Circle Of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through The Seasons by Joyce Rupp