When I breathe deep, I smell bees,
and suddenly the scent of everything
is opened to me  – how the June air at evening
is rich with blossoms and resin, ripe grass
and some distant spice,
and inside the ag building,
sawdust and pencil lead,
various minerals

We work until after dark,
though darkness doesn’t come till 10,
we savor the sky, and the satisfaction
of work done.

©Wendy Mulhern
June 24, 2023