Autumn slipped into August
under the full moon’s gaze

such audacity

no sooner had night begun to
intrude upon the day

and cicadas’ cadences risen
to celebrate evening’s sweep

than squirrels got busy tossing
green acorns into coffers

and bees asserted fierce authority
over all things sweet

last night an owl swooped low
on silent wings that shivered the air

Emily-Sue Sloane (https://EmilySueSloane.com) is an award-winning poet whose writing captures moments of wonder, worry and human connection. She published a full-length collection, We Are Beach Glass, in 2022, and her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She lives in Huntington Station, NY with her wife, singer-songwriter Linda Sussman.