Out-door Dining by Diana Poulos-Lutz

Tonight I'm dining
under the summer's sunset sky,
and I long for discovery,
to knowingly gaze at
the full menu of the universe--
so let me drink the hues
of those ever-changing clouds,
that inspiration du jour,
and I'll be both drunk and grounded
with earthly whimsy.
Let me ingest the scent
of this warm June breeze
and my heart will smile a dream
in a pleasant slumber.
I look across to the empty
seat and no-one is there,
but everything fills me up--
distant laughs, trees rustling,
shadows of birds and flies dancing,
the touch of setting rays on my
bare warming-arms,
a gust of wind twirling my curls.
I draw a ripe strawberry close to my lips
and it's sweetness has been dipped
in the wine of alive-ness, the elegant
growth of the flora beside me,
so quiet it's ascent is never seen.
There is no need for any-thing else,
no banquet set for kings or queens,
no flattering words or alluring gestures,
just a reflection of the sky's depth 
on my water-filled eyes, moist from
the in-between-ness of sadness and joy,
drying from the force 
of a soon-coming solstice
shown on my dinner place setting.
And this even-ing,
what I have is just fine
as I'm out here dining and
communing
with this summer's storied stars.

Diana Poulos-Lutz has a B.A., M.A. in Political Science from Long Island University as well as an MPhil, Master of Philosophy in Politics, from the New School for Social Research.  Diana's poems have recently been featured on media sites such as TheNewVerse.News, the Rye Whiskey Reviewand Pantsuit Nation. She is the 1st place winner of the 2019 Nassau County Poet Laureate Society poetry contest as well as the 1st place winner of the 2019 international Spirit First poetry contest. Diana's poetry is inspired by her deep connection to the natural world, along with her desire to promote equality, mindfulness, and empowerment.