Summer’s First Blow
Even my blackbird is silent, no doubt
panting profusely in shadow,
as searing heat rises, and
desert winds taunt the air,
for in despair we are locked inside,
air conditioners in which to hide,
as summer’s first real blow stings,
and everything is slowed, brings
the air wavering with ripples ascending,
blurring life to a dull lethargy,
as we wait for a painted sunset,
a respite and change expected.
It’s nearly 106 deg Fahrenheit,
an oven out there,
and inside my cat is on his back,
trying to keep cool,
the dog’s panting like a steam engine,
distressed even in the air-con,
but today it’s struggling,
for nothing can keep the heat out,
and its as dry as bone,
as oppressive silence echoes in the stillness,
ice and more ice cannot keep up,
as thirst is a bottomless cup.
Tomorrow it will be just a memory,
one we’ll experience again and again,
but small mercies come discreetly,
gully winds and pressure changes
to calm our weary bodies,
when summer gets a hold, down under,
where seasons take their toll,
from fire to flood and back again,
this terrain is ours to admire,
for its tough down here,
but beauty reigns and its how it is, different,
merciless and as accommodating as nature’s moods.
Tony DeLorger © 2018
My books link for review and purchase
videos on YouTube and book sales on website thoughtsforabeautifulmind.com, Amazon and digitalprintaustralia.com.au/bookstore
- Brutal Night - March 30, 2021
- Like a Breeze Recalls - March 27, 2021
- Torrents - September 5, 2020
My goodness! Hope you got through the day okay and your evening brings a touch of cool air. This weather report is nicely written and gives a strong sense of an unrelenting Sol. Do take care dear poet.
Thanks Phyllis, its only mild today and the change is welcomed. Take care.
Down under has a more surreal meaning in this hellish verse of scorching and oppressive heat – expertly rendered description Tony – try to stay cool!
Thanks Ralph, its cooled down now but we’ll get more. Its when those days are 4 or 5 in a row that is hard to take. But this is Australia and global warming doesn’t help. Cheers!
I hope you don’t mind that I posted this on my Facebook page today
Of course not Ralph, its nice to be read. Cheers!