It Must Be June

When the green is grand and virgin

And the peony is pink

When the sun is warm and golden

Like a gently honeyed drink

And the laughter of the children

Fills the pleasant afternoon

At the thought of school-vacation

Then I think it must be June

When the ribbon of red twilight

Glimmers long against the west

And the farmer’s hope is hungry

As the crop begins to press

When the cheer of flower-gardens

Amplifies its rainbow swoon

I declare within my heart then

That I think it must be June

When the Painter of its pasture

Spills pigment of unnamed sheen

And the palette on His easel

Hold a thousand shades of green

When each meadow is a heaven

And each willow strums a tune

We rejoice to hear creation

Sing the cadences of June

When blue sky vaults its pavilion

Over nature’s surging strain

And tanned bare-feet dance in rhythm

To its summer-glad refrain

When we dream of sandy beaches

And soft sea-song’s sweeping croon

Then we smile in celebration

For we know it must be June

© Janet Martin