Summer Sunday
Returning to a time
when family gathered in the
shade of the backyard
to forget the week of work and worry
Men sitting on wooden chairs drinking ice-cold beer
wearing freshly laundered undershirts
telling tales and listening
to the Yankee game on the
transistor radio
Returning to a time
when simmering marinara sauce
cooked for hours on the stove,
kitchen window open,
the sweet aroma filled the shaded yard
where children played
And later in the day
when the sun set and the
evening cooled,
we gathered in the dining room
to eat the Italian feast the women made
twirling spaghetti around our forks,
red wine flowing and
grandpa peeling apples and oranges
with his small penknife
At night when all was calm
we joined the darkness
where the crickets chirped in the distance,
the men smoked cigars on the stoop,
the women talked in whispers,
and cousins snuck up behind
lightning bugs to catch them in a jar.
Author Bio: I graduated MiraCosta College with honors, earning my Associate’s degree in 2004. This exciting experience expanded my education and sparked a passion for writing and art. I am currently enrolled in a creative writing class at the MiraCosta Community Learning Center which encourages my writing talent.