My Summertime

Writer’s Cramp Prompt:
The first form in this poetry week is a Japanese one... Write a Naga Uta about summer.
This form comes from Japan and was developed in the Edo Period. (1603-1867) The Naga Uta originally was created as dance music; nowadays, this form is used to tell a story, accompanied by shamisen music. (The shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument; you can compare it with a lute.)

How do you write a Naga Uta?
You can make a Naga Uta as long as you like.
The Naga Uta is a syllabic poem; a variation of five and seven syllables per line is used to write it.
The lines vary in this order...5/7/5/7/5/7 etc.
The Naga Uta ends with ...5/7/7
There is no rhyme required in the Naga Uta.


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My Summertime

The days are toasty
When sunshine sings of freedom.
My toes writhe naked.
I wear my shorts and cropped tops,
While glittered gold motes
Paint my cheeks into roses.

Mom says, “Play outside.”
So we jump in lawn sprinklers
Squealing at the cold,
Or climb up into shade trees,
Staking out our house
Way up, high above the ground.

Summer moves slower.
The sticky heat calls for chats.
And neighbors stop by
To spit watermelon seeds,
Sip iced lemonaide,
Or churn our ice cream maker.

Baby Sue splashes
Inside her blue plastic pool.
The boys go fishing,
While Dad cooks leathered hot dogs.
We munch chips instead
With fresh potato salad.

Evenings, crickets chirp,
And fireflies light on wing.
The big porch swing creaks
As Bobby sits with his girl,
Smooching in the dark.
I pretend not to see them.

Summer days pass by
Moving slowly; yet they’re gone
Before they're worn out
From our playing hide and seek,
In and out of trees,
Swimming down in the river,
Or tasting all that freedom.


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