Life is just a chair of bowlies.
—Mary Engelbreit

June ripe, the chair of bowlies,
gleaming their shiny faces at you,

some still paired at the tops
of their slender stems—

suddenly, they’re everywhere,
sweet cherries on sale, great price,

ones you longed for over winter,
will wish for all too soon. Consider

the perfection of a single sphere
before it makes its way to the mouth,

admire its simple circumference,
savor its smooth generosity on

the tongue, cherish the memory of
a pie crafted by the hands of one

who loved you, or fruit plucked
from a big-hearted tree, crimson

orbs plump in their bowlies,
this abundant season of warmth

as juicy and bright
as summer should be.