Photo by Ralph Johnson, Shenandoah National Park, 8/11/16.
We sat on the back porch in weathered-gray Adirondack chairs which tilted back
but not quite enough.
With cricked necks we stared up at the sky.
Experimenting with focused gaze and then with soft eyes,
We took in Cassiopeia’s night sky.
In late, still darkness,
The sounds of summer’s sultriness drummed in our ears–
Cicadas, frogs, crickets, locusts–the chorus that calls for fall.
We held hands and waited for the promised Perseid meteors
As children might watch for lightning bugs.
“There’s one!”
“Did you see that?”
Spears of light etched through the stars urged us to stay for just one more.
“There’s one!”
Just one more. . .
Flash of wonder.
pelicansandprose 
This is a beautiful post! I wish I had ventured out that night. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading! It was pretty spectacular – my words can’t convey the splendor.
Flash of wonder! What a gift you received from the night sky. And your words exquisitely capture your evening.
A friend captured one in a photo that I’m uploading now. Thank you for your kind reply:).
You brought back memories of laying on a blanket in the backyard with my Dad!
Haha–a blanket was a much better idea, but I was too lazy to go back inside and find one! I’m glad you have that memory with your Dad!