the summer’s ghost writes
on blanket salted by sand
and damp upon shaded brook’s edge
infused by sunbaked rivergrass
a map unfolded
a diary of languishing
and refuge from the ruins
this travelling mantle
breathes secrets of cool
earth hug of body imprint
the smell of brine and herbaceous
clash of microscopic life
cannot be washed
from the ground
Jessica Lee McMillan © 2020
