Meteorological

It is the first day of
Meteorological Summer
and that sounds important
so I take a midday stroll
through sun-dappled,
leafy-green-shadowed streets.

I have eleven minutes of unscripted time
as I wait for my lunch order at the local grill.

Basking on a splinter-free picnic bench
watching commerce and leisure
bustle around me,
I soak in the sunshine like a
maple manufacturing chlorophyll.

My phone blinks with notification;
meal is ready.
Time to return to reality.
I collect my take-away and turn on my heel.

While I ascend the elevator
up, up, up, and darkness folds in
my sun-warmed cheeks remind me
I was once wild, and it is now summer.