The air was poised
in a feather balance
between warm and cool,
shifting one way or the other
with the sun and breeze

And I had to go out
where it could dance
across my skin
and I could take in all the scents —
dried leaves, ripe blackberries,
sprinkler systems, roses and mimosa —
and the longer shadows
and the exhilaration
of this visibly shorter day.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 21, 2014