Summertime

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that starts from a regional phrase, particularly one to describe a weather phenomenon.

Summertime

‘Tis hot enough to scald a lizard

not a speck of cloud in the sky

nor the slightest breeze

the unrelenting gaze of Sol Invictus

bakes earth to cookie firmness

fine cracks on earth

running like a network of broken veins

dry river beds exposing their filthy belly

trees emaciated and shrunken

leaves wilted and drooping with exhaustion

sweat evaporating in seconds

leaving the skin papery and parched

thirst remaining unquenchable

and the slow whirring fan

offering no solace at all

summers are usually like this every year.

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