Somewhere Off in the Distance

by Algernon

The glorious days of summer are gone.

The sun sinks through the horizon
stretching shadows long across the grass.
The clouds turn dark under a glowing orange and purple sky.

An eerie silence reigns
except for the soft rustling of the corn
and the occasional distant slam of a screen door.
Coolness sets in as the world turns to gray.

The children are now indoors.
The games have been played. Won and lost.
The races ran. Fights fought.
The tears dried and laughter stilled.
These last remaining days could be counted,
though no one does.

It's over.
I stand here,
not wanting to let go.
Feeling a tug of resistance to move on.
And somewhere,
off in the distance
a dog barks.