little by little

when the temperatures soared at the end of July
i sat inside and ate some homemade cherry pie
for the next three hours on my lap i held a book
while people outside made a noise but i wouldn't look
i read two pages and fell asleep by the back screen door
dreaming of bathers lounging on a distant shore:
they were sunning themselves near the water's edge.
i kept tiptoeing to a vanishing point on a steep cliff's ledge
my disembodied head way out to sea
i kept wondering but beyond a shadow of a doubt knew it was really me.
i saw other people reading and enjoying something to eat
when a swimmer with ivory hips came by my feet
she handed me my head and said she cared
she had one soft ice cream cone but we shared
we danced under the milky way when i heard her say
"i love the way you're holding me today
won't you stay near, my dear"
and when i awoke in the warm sand at high tide
little by little it dawned on me that she was still by my side.