NVN Friday: PLAY FOR THE TEAM
by Buff Whitman-Bradley
“Why Summers May Never Be the Same” The globe’s warmest months on record redefined summer for many Americans. —Julie Bosman reporting from Chicago, where it is 84 degrees in October, for The New York Times, October 5, 2023
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Even though summer heat Has stopped by to remind us That we are living in precarious times, Autumn is unmistakably upon us. The light is liquid gold, Long, lanky afternoon shadows Are sprawling all over The houses and gardens and lawns Up and down the block, And there is something about The taste and smell of the air, Something leafy and loamy And earthily aromatic. Even though summer heat Has stopped by to remind us That we don’t have a whole lot of time left To flip the climate narrative, To turn the dire story on its head. Seasons do still come and go And will keep doing so If we are smart enough And brave enough And passionate enough And organized enough To resist the despoilers of earth and air, Confiscate their piggy banks, And stick the spoiled kids back In their play houses and their little red wagons Until they can learn To get with the program And play for the team.
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Buff Whitman-Bradley’s latest book is And What Will We Sing? (Kelsay Books). He podcasts at thirdactpoems.podbean.com and lives with his wife Cynthia in northern California.