I remember the summers of my childhood, when we didn’t feel the heat and ran about outside without a care. The only thing we worried about was being called in for tea.
Nowadays, I am not a lover of hot weather, and find myself longing for autumn in the middle of a hot spell. I find refuge in the leafy shade of our garden, which is generally lush and green, but some plants suffer in the heat. I feel sorry for the flowers with drooping heads – I know just how they feel.
counting drops of sweat –
the watering can’s heavy
a robin follows
Kim M. Russell, 23rd June 2025
It’s Haibun Monday at the dVerse Poets Pub with Frank – and a summer/winter theme, depending where you are in the world.
Frank has given examples of how haijin witnessed both seasons.
writing in north norfolk 
Oh you would enjoy the summer here a lot more, I would like to have some more heat.
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We could swap!
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Good day Kim. I enjoyed this post and hope you are doing well. How I wished included in my childhood was routinely being called into tea. As an American, I didn’t develop my love for tea until I became an adult. I am not a hot weather lover, either, but I don’t want to live in Alaska or Siberia, either. I grew up in Maryland in the U.S. and we had our hot summers but the humidity would be gone by the evening and it seemed most nights felt more like Spring than Summer. Now I live in South Carolina in the U.S. and the humidity seems to almost forbid true distinctions between the Spring, Summer, and Fall. “I feel sorry for the flowers with drooping heads – I know just how they feel.” I understand and concur with this statement. Have a great week.
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Hi Christopher! Thank you for reading and commenting. Tea in the UK can also mean an afternoon or evening meal. When I was a child I didn’t drink tea. We had water, sometimes with squash or cordial, and hot chocolate. Enjoy your week in the Caroline sunshine.
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Ah, yes! Those childhood summers, where we ran around until sundown! Lovely, Kim!
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Thank you, Frank!
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A beautiful haibun, Kim. The droopy head comparison is great!
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Thank you, Dwight.
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You are very welcome!
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I knew how they feel today, too! Even at the pool, it was almost unbearably hot out.
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Childhood thoughts bring it all back on hazy nostalgia, but alas, the droopy heads are all-too real…..v nicely done, with the thirsty robin.
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Cheers Ain!
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Great read Kim – childhood summers – seemed never-ending or maybe that’s just me looking through my rose-tinted glasses again ❤️
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You’re right, they did seem never-ending, and the first day back at school always came as a surprise.
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😄
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Beautifully written haibun and I can feel the heaviness of the heat too. The haiku is a delight.
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Thank you, Dianne!
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Kim, this really brought me back to those carefree childhood summers—then gently shifted into a more grounded, tender present. I especially feel the quiet companionship of that robin.
~David
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Thanks David!
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I totally agree with you. Last week was an effort to not melt into a heap.
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The robin following the water can says it all. Green and shade is such salvation.
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Thank you! I had a robin following me while I was weeding and watering recently.
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Like you, I am not a lover of summer heat.
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such days were really golden days of life ho summer no cold no hunger for any thing just enjoying life…
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Thanks for reading and commenting!
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I have always lived in southern England. Apart from long summers of misty childhood days, I miss the thunderstorms we used to get; nowadays, electrical storms seem to be a flash in the pan.
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Me too, Bob.
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