August 2021
/No single season ever could fulfill all the hopes and dreams which we New Englanders impose upon our summers. With time of the essence, nothing short of perfect weather will do. Yet, as the wet, drab days of July have morphed into ones of heat and wildfire haze, we must embrace the imperfect. After all, isn’t that what we do all the rest of the year? Indeed, as Old Frog Pond Farm beekeeper, Don Rota, reminds us in this month’s featured poem, great beauty can come of a summer storm.
After the Summer Storm
by Don Rota
the sunset murmurs
peepers peep
fireflies mesmerize
bullfrogs deep
the crickets synchronize
bats banter about
the playful orchestra
of light and darkness
of silence and sound
dense pollen scent
wisps of fog all around
senses saturate
nature’s chorus
in droplets of time
the sultry breath
as summer exhales
Don Rota has been a beekeeper for over six years. He manages a dozen hives in Harvard, including those here at Old Frog Pond Farm, and helps mentor new beekeepers.. He advises everyone to “Find a place in nature to inhale the moment and embrace your senses.”