A Summer’s Tale
A rengay by Sarah Welch and Michael Dylan
Welch Winner of third place in the 2018 San Francisco International Rengay Competition sponsored by the Haiku Poets of Northern California. First published in Mariposa #41, Autumn/Winter 2019, page 28. Originally written on Thanksgiving Day, 26 November 2015, in Sammamish, Washington, when Sarah was nine years old. See also “A Winter’s Tale.” wind and waves— the warm yellow sand shifts beneath my toes Sarah high cirrus clouding the tidepool Michael scuttling crab— seashells rattle with the sea Sarah reddening sun— her castle not yet taken Michael crisp, salty air flowing through my hair Sarah all that’s left of our footprints wind and waves Michael Commentary by the Rengay Contest Judge“I love the way this rengay occurs in the same spot—the beach in summer. It starts with ‘wind and waves,’ ends with ‘wind and waves,’ and provides snapshots of what is happening on this beach in between. I could imagine being on my favorite beach and experiencing this with my own eyes.” —Deborah P Kolodji |