If you stand where the two paths cross,
you’ll see bumblebees on Bergamot,
blue dragonflies riding tall grasses,
Black-eyed Susans swaying in the wind.
Hold very still to feel heat rise,
cocoon you in summer’s steam,
breathe the scent of Mountain Mint,
taste of honey on your tongue.
If you watch the way a monarch flits
in search of Blazing Stars,
you’ll hear the whisper of its wings,
feel the beat of prairie’s heart.
Susan Coultrap-McQuin
Susan Coultrap-McQuin has been a Pushcart nominee, a finalist in Orchard Street Poetry Contest, and Honorable Mention from Wick Poetry Center. Recent poems appear in Still Point Arts Quarterly, The Dewdrop, Quiet Diamonds, Poeming Pigeon, and Shift. Her chapbook, What We Bring Home (The Poetry Box), was published in 2021.