Last of the Summer Tomatoes

There’s something extra special about the last of the summer tomatoes, those stragglers in the later, waning sun that take so much time to ripen. But when they do - Oh, the wait is so worth the while! When I finally pluck that last, reddened fruit from the tangle of collapsing vines and browning leaves and plunge the long-awaited gem into my mouth, the heightened burst of flavor tingles my tongue and dazzles my eyes!

It seems that all of the color and flavor the summer has to offer is concentrated down into the last of the yield loitering on the vine, a final offering of the season reserving its best for the very, very last. I can never wait to return to the house with the long-awaited prize, sampling the deeply reddened jewel there on the spot at the feet of the tangled, expiring plants. And there I rejoice, with the last of the crickets chirping and the birds darting overhead, I rejoice and give an extra special thanks.