Ben Swimm

Summer Pastoral

July and the flax blooms drop their petals daily,

                        covering the soil in a wilting blue.

            The prop planes overhead

turn on and off their engine noises;

                        climbing toward something,

            letting go.

Guns everywhere this summer. This morning

                        we rose to a couple rounds

            from one neighbor

or another and we heard later on the radio

                        you can bring an open carry

            to the RNC

but cannot have a tennis ball.

                        The garlic is hung and drying,

            early

from a spring of record heat.

                        At the post office,

            there’s a girl dressed all

in lavender sitting under the counter who

                        asks her mom,

            “Can I watch a movie

under here? I don’t think it’s dangerous.”

                        The man in front

            of me is shipping his

rifle to Oregon and the postal worker asks

                        about it being liquid, fragile, perishable,

            or hazardous

as if it were lithium batteries or perfume. 

                        Zucchini pour out their juices 

            when we cut their stems.