~~~~UPDATE: The ebook version of Summer just became available! Get it here.~~~~
When I wrote the poems for Silver Birch Press‘ Summer anthology, I focused on summer activities–like reading in the shade, swimming, camping, and drinking iced tea on a porch swing.
But really, when it gets down to it, the first (and last) thing I think about is the heat. As a Texas girl, summer heat is a force to be reckoned with. An enormous, shaggy bear that drapes itself across your back, and envelops you in smothering, sweltering embrace.
I only want to be your friend…
Image from WikiMedia by User Lykaestri.
Sauna
Summer breathes, hot and humid on exposed skin,
raising beads of clammy sweat that refuse to dry.
Hot enough for you?” locals say with a smile,
and talk about a years-ago drought when nothing grew–
crops withered, stock ponds vanished into thin
air–the smiles pretend drought is only in the past.
*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*
Rain falls and the day cools, but the relief doesn’t last–
sunshine evaporates the puddles like morning dew,
leaving behind only heat shimmer mirages that lie
about heavenly thirst-quenching pools. Mile after mile
of blazing, tarry asphalt, and sidewalks burning to
the touch block travel. Stay inside, as summer presses in.
caitlinsternwrites 