Summer in the Valley

Summer has reached the valley now;
In hives the bees are swarming;
The weeder has replaced the plow;
The weather's fair and warmer.
In green-tinged orchards, limbs hang low
From luscious fruits they are bearing;
Out in the garden, flowers grow;
There is beauty everywhere.

O'er grass bordering a winding lane,
A soft blanket has spread
Where tiny violets bloom again,
Near fenceposts up ahead.
The scented pines on yonder hill
Give fragrance down below;
Lush ferns are nodding by the rill
Where birch and willow grow.

In fields and meadows I can hear
The bluebirds as they sing -
Their melody is soft and clear,
As summer news they bring.
Deep in the wood's secluded bowers,
All natural life will rally
When it's summer in the valley.

~ P.F. Freeman