Swelter Down Under
Swelter Down Under
The heat haze rises up off the bitumen
Creating a mirage to trick the eyes.
Water flowing across the road up ahead,
That gets no closer as you approach.
Steering wheel covers are a necessity,
Much preferable to wearing gloves,
And a seat belt buckle more like a branding iron
Than something meant to save lives.
All grass has turned brown
And crunches brittle underfoot.
Weeds provide the only flash of green,
They seem to thrive no matter what.
More than a few short minutes
Under the blazing summer Sun
Feels like you have somehow been shrunk
And thrown into an oven.
Plants and vegetables wilt and die
Despite regulated watering hours
Alternating odd and even house numbers
Rightly imposed by local councils.
Splash some oil on the car hood
And crack an egg at midday.
It will be cooked in a few minutes
So have your toast ready.
Air conditioners work overtime
Stressing the electricity grid.
Dogs and cats seek the coolest spot,
Lying around all day lethargic.
Keep the elderly indoors,
And slip slop slap if you venture out.
Heat stroke is a silent killer,
And so is melanoma.
Almost every week in Australia,
Temperature records are broken.
The highest in recorded history,
But, shhh! “Global Warming” mustn’t be spoken.
The Driest Continent on Earth
Australia, apart from being called “The Land Down Under,” has been given the title “the driest continent on Earth,” and that is very appropriate as most of our interior is in fact desert. We are also a land of extremes with the far north being wet tropics, whereas parts of the south-eastern quarter (including Tasmania) often experiencing winter snow.
One thing that most of the country shares though is extreme summer heat conditions.
Maximum temperatures continue to be broken all around the country e.g. this January 2019, Adelaide had ten consecutive days with maximum temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Maximums in a number of areas have reached 48C (118F) on more than one occasion during January and February. Extended heat waves coupled with a lack of seasonal rain has resulted in severe drought in many areas. For instance where I live in Murgon, Queensland we have had the driest January on record with 2mm of recorded rainfall. Most of out rainfall usually occurs between November and February, but this has been growing less reliable every year.
Changing Seasons
The seasons are now so out of kilter that flowers are now blooming in Winter instead of their usual spring and birds are migrating at different times of the year.
The summer cyclone season has seen huge rainfalls experienced in the north of the State with Townsville and surrounding areas currently being declared in a state of emergency due to severe flooding. that rain, however, is needed much further south. You would also expect heavy rainfall to reduce the temperatures. It does so, but only by a few degrees though also makes the humidity skyrocket so it feels even hotter.
In January, bushfires raged all along the Queensland coast, and at the present time, it is New South Wales turn, with scattered fires across that state.
Most Australians can really relate to the term “Global Warming,” but I realise the opposite may be the feeling in other Northern Hemisphere countries that are simultaneously experiencing record cold temperatures and extended winters. We can argue the “Climate Change … real or fiction?” debate to our heart’s content but I am not here to do that, just to report what I experience first hand in this land I live in called “Down Under … the Sun.”
by John Hansen © 2019
Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction, and thoroughly enjoying this, especially flash fiction.
I have been fortunate to have two poems made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren.
My services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials.
It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years are now wonderful material for my stories and poems.
I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.
- The First Word – A Flash Fiction Story - January 18, 2024
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- Weave Me a Story - June 15, 2023
I hear you, John. Really big heat is a letdown. I discovered that here in Florida but now that I have found the ocean even when it does get hot again I am going to be down at the ocean sitting in a beach chair with my feet dipped into the cooling water. Right now we have the opposite of Global Warming we have Global Cooling but I know the temps are going to go up soon.
You know something i always say I hate the sweltering heat of summer, we dont get as hot in NY but it does get hot. But I’ll take heat to these icy winters we are having. I hate the cold. Nice work John, great imagery.
We are funny aren’t we Paul. In winter we complain about the cold and in summer we whinge about the heat. I prefer the cool but fortunately, it doesn’t get too cold… we never get snow. Thanks for the kind comment.
Hi Rasma, you are fortunate to be living by the ocean. That is a great advantage when the heat soars. You only have to endure the cold for a couple more months and it will start to warm up.
LOL… I am glad you got all that heat and no water down there. I like the ever changing climate here in Colorado… Wonderful write John.
Thank you Kurt, but we need more water! We seem to be in either drought or flood here, at least now that I live in a town I don’t have to constantly be on alert for the threat of bushfire. That was different when I lived on 40 acres surrounded by trees. Colorado sounds like a great place.
Wow! Drink lots of water and take care. We have been so cold here in Washoe County. Snow was almost gone then another storm came in and six inches of snow in the yard now. Great poem, John.
It seems our countries (at least our states) are total opposites Phyllis. We look forward to seeing storm clouds form overhead in the evening with a hope of rain and some respite from the heat. Yes, I am drinking lots of fluid and staying indoors probably more than I’d like.
John , Every movie , film , documentary I’ve ever seen of Australia I have always envied those who live there , such a mirror image of our American history and yet SO vast and unique a land . Awesome writing , I do hope we are all only going through “natural ” cycles .
Hot or Cold regions ? I’ll take the cooler !……….Ed
Hi Ed, yes our histories have a lot of similarities but our lands are totally different. Don’t get me wrong, this is a beautiful country and so diverse, but God could have done a better job with the climate at times. I hope they are just natural cycles too and eventually turn around or settle down.
We need everyone sharing their experiences with drought heat or never ending snow. Thank you John the world is slowly waking up to certain realities, at least I hope. Jamie
Thank you Jamie. Yes, I hope the world wakes up too and becomes proactive instead of reactive.
I’m sitting here in the Pacific Northwest watching the snow fly and the mercury drop lower as the night sets in – the heat sounds kind of nice
I am sure it does Ralph. Not sure if I would like snow for more than a couple of days. We often want what we don’t currently have, don’t we? Thanks for commenting.