June Tabor - Seven Summers

It was a long wet year
But she looked for summer
Grown weary waiting for the sun
She saw the sodden fledglings fasten to the trees
And corn lie flat in fields

Each of her seven years
Had summers to remember
Long afternoons in waterfalls
Journeys over Minches, scrambles over hills
And nights spent out of doors

But March stayed around till June
And April passed unnoticed
July hurried in grey holidays
Wellingtons and raincoats, friends would call around
And play at winter games

Clouds stirred around by wind
And the sun was braving showers
She got to run in summer sun
She never bared her body, never shed a tear
All paths are lost in me

No chance of summer now
She saw the geese returning
Fieldfares are in the swallow skies
Not a lot of sense in hurrying from school
When all the light is done
It was a long wet year