Freezing in June
I turned on the furnace
And put on a sweater
When summer arrived
It got colder and wetter.
The slugs in my garden
Devoured the heads
Of lettuce and broccoli
Lined up in their beds.
I baited with beer
But they slid by the brew
So I handpicked each slug—
What else could I do?
My kayak had not seen
A glimpse of the pond
It was rainy and cold
Clearly something was wrong.
July’s stifling heat
Finally drove out the rain
After freezing in June
I could never complain.
—Suzanne Mahoney
West Bare Hill Road
