Summerverse

Ode to Summer Fruit

Petulant, plush
velveteen suede
precious peach
of luscious shades.
Joyous bursts of juice,
sunsets let loose.

Kingdoms,
deep purples and blues,
keepers of the gate
of crush red and ooze.
Royal statesmen, sometimes glum
not always welcoming
ponderous plum.

Honeydew (not don’t )
lacy, airy
light of sweetness.
Of moisture
droplets
fair-haired child
of sheen and clear
and my desire.

Orange madness
tight of skin
mapped for travel
dense within.
Fortress of pleasure
cant-a-loupe – –
my sin.

Ovals and rounds,
greens and reds,
yellow-bellies
swallowed in beds.
Black slippery soldiers
invading the lush,
expelling the sweetness
oh, watermelon, yes!

Rise Up, Soften

Silver light cuts my bread,
windows draw me out.

Stillness rushes in, swells

on laden air. Table-top daisies
widen their smile, show more teeth.

Stools and chairs fall back
and lighten, ceilings and walls
discard their seams.

Folk art paintings play a part, restate
their message, know they belong.

Floors rise up, soften, dissolve,

cat, Aurora, slides into the light

Lila Hall in the Morning

Lila Hall is a YOGA studio in Costa Rica

Awake, she hurls kisses at the mountains
and steps carefully to Lila Hall.

The room is silence, the teacher serenity,
birdsong and love the only sounds.

She starts to breathe and begins the
gentle movements to open the body.

Her heart is light and she is fully present.

A change occurs as barriers melt
and flowing flowers invade the space

She surrenders to this with joy and gratitude

The mountains smile and she invites them
in to share her last Om.

Evelyn Ann Romano is an award-winning poet whose poetry has been published in numerous journals including Bacopa Review, Sandhill Review, Wordsmith, Chasing Light, New Mirage Quarterly, Palettes&Quills, Cadence, Time of Singing and many others. She is a three-time Tampa Writers Alliance Poetry Prizewinner. Other awards include Mt. Dora poetry prize, New River Poets award and Hillsborough County Library award. Excerpts from her poem, “Love Letter to Tampa” were displayed city-wide at numerous locations as part of the Love Tampa project run by the City of Tampa. Her debut chapbook, “RIPE” was published in 2018 by FinishingLine Press. Her latest chapbook, “Eve Redeemed- A Woman’s Journey” was published in January 2023. Evelyn has been an OLLI member since 2016 and was a member of Life Long Writers at USF for many years. She is a New Jersey transplant who lives in New Tampa.