Summer Nights by Nancy Machlis Rechtman

The nights we spent by the lake were filled with sorcery and romance
Conjured by the moon rising brashly above the water
With the stars surrounding it like sparks that rained down
Onto the lily pads where the frogs trilled
And fireworks filled the sky.

Summer nights melt into just a few short months
Standing alone from all the other seasons
And all the other nights
Coating the banality of our lives
With bursts of color and possibilities
To be treasured
And savored
Making us yearn for magic long after the inexorable passage of time.

The memories come flooding back
Riding on the wave of a sound
Or a scent
Or a touch
Or a breath of air.

I can still feel the touch of his hand as we were drawn to the water
The sweet scent of jasmine was more intoxicating than any wine
While under the canopy of the dark chocolate sky
We stole tender kisses
Dancing to the rhythmic sounds of the softly chirping crickets
With fireflies lighting our way
Caressed by the loamy earth underneath our bare feet
Certain that the heat of our love would always be.

We dissolved into each other
The nights were an eternity
Filled with enchantment and dreams
When there was no yesterday
Or tomorrow
Just the promise of becoming one with the night.

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Nancy Machlis Rechtman has had poetry and short stories published in Paper Dragon, Page & Spine, Quail Bell, Blue Lake Review, Goat’s Milk, The Writing Disorder, Discretionary Love, and more. She wrote freelance Lifestyle stories for a local newspaper, and she was the copy editor for another paper She writes a blog called Inanities at https://nancywriteon.wordpress.com.