Not That June

Written by Mark Johnson

This is not that June I used to know of lush eastern or midwestern gardens in better neighborhoods or blushing brides posing on the covers of magazines that used to be familiar.

It is an under-the-radar, sun-soaked, almost-summer, alternative universe of early-bird lizards, spiky saguaros, freshly trimmed palms, empty pool chairs, and fiery sunsets.

All of them wait in triple digits for a hint of the season’s first monsoon, an uncertain wet chapter and swirling desert drama that has yet to unfold in a land where the clocks never change.

I captured these images in my south Scottsdale-Arizona community between June 17 and 20, 2023.

If you like the above poem and photos, check out my latest book A Path I Might Have Missed on Amazon.

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