SUMMER WANES…
Meteorological end of summer (created by scientists to make more consistent climate comparisons) falls on August 31st.
Astronomical end of summer comes in mid-September with the autumn equinox.
MY end of summer?
Growing up, it was the Sunday of Labor Day weekend––the last day as kids we could wear white. After that, Mom packed away our white pedal-pushers, our sleeveless shifts, our espadrilles, to reappear the next Memorial Day.
As summer wanes, Emily’s Forever is on my mind.
Images courtesy of Pixaby
Forever is composed of Nows (25)
        by Emily Dickinson
Forever is composed of Nows —
’Tis not a different time,
Except for infiniteness
And latitude of home.
From this, experienced here,
Remove the dates to these,
Let months dissolve in further months,
And years exhale in years.
Without certificate or pause
Or celebrated days,
As infinite our years would be
As Anno Domini’s.
This poem is in the public domain.
Summer’s End
        by Patricia J. Franz
Would that Summer might never fade…
not the white glare of Sun’s high arc,
but golden Light that glows between grasses––
the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you.
Only as a day stills,
     only when you enter,
          can Now become Forever.
 © 2026 Patricia J. Franz
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Oh, Patricia, I love:
“the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you.”
What a lovely side-by-side pairing you and Emily make. I’d love to see you do more poem-alikes with Emily … now and forever. 🙂
I’m in this week with some words about the dear and wonderful Wendell Berry. Thank you for hosting!
Thank you, Karen. I have enjoyed an irregular-yet-ongoing conversation with Basho and Issa (from an old haiku book gifted to me from Linda Baie in a poetry swap. They inspired me to sit with Emily 🙂
Oh, wow, Patricia, your response poem is a perfect pairing with Emily’s. It is breathtaking, the images you have captured. And your Emilyesque use of em dashes and capital letters are spot on. A lovely place to alight for awhile. Thank you, and thank you for hosting.
Thank you, Denise. Emily is a consummate hostess 🙂
“the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you” – That might be one of the prettiest & most profound lines I’ve ever read. Gorgeous poem, Patricia. It absolutely holds its own next to our amazing Emily’s.
(Thank you again for enriching my summer with your swap gifts! Featured today.)
Here’s to now, here’s to forever…. xo
Thank you, Robyn. I love being in conversation with Emily. 🙂
Like the others, I’m struck by the soft breath of Silence. Lovely. Thanks for hosting us!
That soft breath is a respite…We know it can’t last forever, but I’ll take it for the Now.
There is much you’ve shared, and written, Patricia, to celebrate, here at summer’s end. I love the line “the soft breath of silence”, but I also see a promise there at the end to us reading: “only when you enter,” that is a sweet challenge, at least to me, like ‘Don’t forget to step up, go!” Thank you for the thoughtful pairing with Emily and for hosting!
Yes, as I mentioned to Tabatha — it is a respite, not a staying place. Thank you, Linda.
Lovely pairing, Patricia. I love the “the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you,” but also the ending that reminds us to live in the present so that Now can become Forever.
I’m thinking that living in the Now holds special significance, Rose. xoxo
Thanks for hosting us and sharing two beautiful poems for pondering the mystery of time. I love the idea that with proper attention, Now can “become Forever.”
Our everyNow’s, right? Thank you, Mary Lee.
I love that descending last stanza that lands so perfectly on “ Now become Forever.” Emily continues to inspire more poetry. I love how you invite me to sit quietly with her poem and breathe. Thanks for hosting!
Poetry conversations with friends — those with us, those not. Thank you, Margaret.
Patricia, thank you so much for those poems. I wasn’t familiar with Emily’s but it so resonates, as does your gorgeous poem, especially that haunting last stanza: “Only as a day stills,/only when you enter,/can Now become Forever.” which makes me think of the loved ones always with us. Also love the craft of the capitalized “Now” and “Forever” in both poems. Thanks for rounding us up!
Yes! Conversations go on and on! Thank you, Mona.
That final stanza, following the soft breath of silence, is just gorgeous. I love how your poem and Emily’s work with each other. I wasn’t familiar with this poem of hers and the title alone is so powerful. Thanks for sharing this and for hosting this week!
It’s like discovering something new in an old friend, isn’t it. Thank you, Molly.
Wow… LOVE
golden Light that glows between grasses––
the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you.
I need some more of that for sure. Your poem is lovely and captures the fleeting sun. Thanks for hosting this week!
I’m thinking you wrote a color-poem on golden light this year, didn’t you? 🙂
Thank you, Cathy
Patricia, pairing Emily’s poem and yours is a beautiful gem. I paused at the following lines, from “And years exhale in years”, and “the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you”. As Summer passes its baton to Autumn, I shall remember this beautiful line from your poem.
Ooh…I love the “soft baton” being passed, Carol. And you also have me thinking about trying an intermingled poem where I might alternate between Emily’s lines and my own. Thank you!
Hi Patricia, enjoyed your sharing of farewell to summer, we are both sharing that vibe in our poetry posts this round! Love the Emily Dickinson poem, and the beautiful transcendent tone of your poem “but golden Light that glows between grasses––
the soft breath of Silence that sits beside you.”
Ah, wonderful! Thanks for hosting the round up:) Jill
I hadn’t thought about that transcendent tone…Now, thinking about your comment, I suppose the seasons do ask that of us…to move beyond the borders of time and see Forever. Thank you, Jill.
Patricia, thank you for hosting (and for so much else), and what a lovely–well, riff doesn’t seem the right word, but that’s what you’ve done–what a lovely riff on Emily’s Forever. My summers also ended with Labor Day and rules about white (which is why, one notable year, my Auguts first-day-of-school outfit included white pants and I was so excited to wear it that I got up and got dressed at 4am, certain it was time to leave for the bus!) My favorite place in this poem is “glows between grasses.”