We were raking grass
before the sun came up,
before our shadows
bumped long across the fields

The heat hadn’t rolled in yet,
so we worked in comfort,
boot toes wet, filling the tarp
and dragging it back to the pile

We finished that task by eight,
others awaiting, needing to be done
before the sun began to burn,
before the hot winds rose

Then we retreated into coolness
(as sun-produced as outdoors’ heat)
and finding our center
and fathoming what it could mean
to be love.

©Wendy Mulhern
July 27, 2022