Dog Days

When Orion and his dog trace their path across the eastern sky,

Riding the great celestial arc toward the flat horizon,

The August-September days keep their warmth into the night, and

Spirits sag with the year’s weight.

Soon the days’ shortening pace will quicken,

Moving toward December’s cold, starlit nights.

Soon ducks and geese will pass, heading south.

Soon it will be time to head out to the crisp, browning

Field to harvest the corn, and

Cotton will explode into white,

Waiting for the machine to come, and

Mornings will begin to feel lighter, cooler.

Those spirits heavy with the year’s weight

Will pluck up courage, hoping for December

And the visit of the Magi.

--September 12, 2013