Here and gone –
the ice cubes in my glass
on a hot summer day;
hot summer days,
their departure heralded
with fast-moving
thunderstorms
that shake free
the last tomatoes,
green and hard,
that ripen,
wrapped in twists
of newspaper,
to a ruddy red,
for the last, best
tomato sandwich
of the year,
exploding,
juicy, sweet and acidic
– here and gone.