(Poem) Summer Solstice by Mary Saracino

On this longest day of the year

I long for more time to write more poetry

sing more songs, eat more chocolate cake, laugh more often

I long to dance in the daylight, scooping the sky into my arms

as summer shines its abundance on everything it touches

I long to live more whole-heartedly, embracing love and hope

surrendering to risk and vulnerability

On this longest day of the year

I long for more courage and perseverance,

more chances to savor the joy that leaps from every blossom

the sunshine that shimmers on every leaf, on every tree

I long to be more generous and kind,

to play with abandon, like a wild-eyed child

sliding down slides, swinging on swings, prancing across the playground

On this day longest day of the year—and every day, short or long—

I long for more time to be, see, celebrate

the many ways—big and small—that everything

is of the One

the One

the only One.

Mary Saracino is a novelist, poet and memoir-writer who lives in Denver, CO. The anthology, She Is Everywhere! Volume 3 (iUniverse 2012) that she co-edited was awarded the 2013 Enheduanna Award for Excellence in Women-Centered Literature from Sofia University. Mary’s most recent novel, The Singing of Swans (Pearlsong Press 2006) was a 2007 Lambda Literary Awards Finalist. Her short story, “Vicky’s Secret” earned the 2007 Glass Woman Prize. For more information, visit www.marysaracino.com.