So Long Summer

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Good-bye toes
shorts
tan
gulls
waves
wet sand.
So long knees
bathing suit
cliffs
capes
barley
oats
corn
clams
mackerel boats.
Good-bye sailing
sunsets
clover
cooking on the beach.
All over.
Bees
fields
picking berries
sea glass
dune grass
good-bye ferry
house
lane
warm rain.
So long sky.
When we come back next July
those trees will be a little taller.
So will I.

So long summer.

~Karla Kuskin

I can't believe it's already September, can you?  I know that it is still officially summer for another 20 days or so, but I never think of it as summer once August is over.  (Actually, as soon as school starts I consider it to be fall.)

I love this list poem by Karla Kuskin.  There are so many wonderful things about summer, and it's time to start bidding them goodbye, at least until next year.  Luckily, there are also several exciting things to look forward to as we say hello to autumn!