The stars took the summer off.
Plump raspberries replaced them.
The raspberries never figured out
how to twinkle.
There was a reddish hue cast at night
upon the earth’s surface.
Too much like a digital clock in a hotel room
flashing the colon between numbers.
A lot of one night stands took place.
And people checking out early.
By the end of summer the raspberries
succumbed to rot and blackened one by one.
When the stars returned from holiday
they were not quite sure where to stand.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 