Summer’s first day, the longest of the year.
Go for a hike, sunlight fills dark woods all day,
Obscuring for an afternoon the fear,
The forest’s hints, oblivion so near.
Solstice of summer, winter not so far away.
Summer’s first day, the longest of the year
When I am done, the hammock and a pint of beer,
And idly I will drowse stern time away,
Obscuring for an afternoon the fear
Death come not this way, not now, not here;
Safe in my hammock, dreaming you away
On summer’s first day, the longest of the year.
Breeze rustles leaves, birds warn that evening nears:
The plaintive songs to keep dark night at bay,
Obscuring for an afternoon the fear.
The foxes stir, the owls announce they’re here;
Light fades, skies gray, no longer can I stay
Obscuring for an afternoon the fear
On summer’s first day, the longest of the year
James B. Kobak, Jr. is a semi-retired lawyer whose essays and poems as well as op eds and the like of matters of public concern have appeared in a number of journals, magazines and other publications over the years. He is the author of the novel, Up Front From Behind (Ramble House Press) and a book for children, Eric the Skier (Humor Outcasts Press).