POEM: The flower that makes us believe summer will never end

July 27, 2026

A painting of black-eyed Susans, by Sue Shaw.

By Sue Shaw

Black-eyed Susans, summer's gold,

Tells us that the season's old.

Her cousin Daisy blooms in May

To tell us summer's on the way.

But when July is at its close

And heat has wilted rambling Rose,

Then Susan blooms in vast perfusion,

Sustaining dreams and the illusion

Of endless summer...golden days...

She bows, quite courtly in her ways, 

And gives a graceful little nod

Unto the stately golden rod.

She sways in breezes with a smile,

Knowing surely all the while,

That when she comes, the summer goes!

And though we've time before it snows,

For long hot days in summer sun,

She's got them numbered...every one. 

—Shaw lives in Penobscot.

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