The summer heat in Texas
is not for the faint of heart
The sun climbs high
early on and beats
relentlessly all day
the mercury soars
into the stratosphere
I walk in the tree shadows
on the street
trying to escape
that blistering sun
cowboy ranchers
come to town
and say
“It's hot as farrr”
Melted in my memory
I hear my grandmother
calling me
Get in here, you are gonna burn up!
and inside - blinds shut
cool air
and sweet tea.
I remember long ago before
S...P...F
playing outside
sun beating down
on my grandfather's farm
walking through
that bleached sand
burning my feet, frying my toes
finally making it to the grape
arbor....
I've seen northern folks
cringe and exclaim
Is it always this hot in this place?
I have seen some
from the deep south
complain
Mercy, this is unreal!
well go find
yourself
a magnolia tree
we've got 'em here
too
perhaps a tall
lemonade
It's not even that
hot yet
August awaits like
a golden promise
Heat Advisory
rolls across the TV
screen
and from the
distance
I'm digging in the
flower bed
mining cannas and
mondo grass
like I'm searching
for a gold amulet
to reflect back
onto the sun
and my once-native
spouse says
You're going to have a heat stroke
out there
and I very well may
but not today.
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