Friday, July 01, 2011

Mid-Summer




The sun's as hot as melted cheese,
It oozes down between the leaves,
then spreads itself across the lawn
and slides along the trunks of trees.

By noon all trace of cool has gone,
the birds have ceased to sing their songs,
and every breathing thing is still,
until the daylight's almost gone.

Then thunderheads begin to build,
all black and blue behind the hill.
the sky takes on an eerie glow
and slowly rain begins to spill

The storm may calm the heat for now,
like asprin soothes a fevered brow,
but searing heat is summer's vow,
yes searing heat is summer's vow.

9 comments:

Tabor said...

Very nicely done! Congratulations!

Brian Miller said...

ha. love the melted cheese imagery...been after another poet about doing a poem about grilled cheese...it is smoking hot here too today...

Kerry said...

I can just feel the heat emanating from this post. Yikes, it sounds hot where you live. Here in Oregon we are having a perfectly gorgeous day: 68 degrees, clear skies, a slight breeze. Maybe tomorrow we'll have a day more like yours, we'll see.

Pauline said...

Yabor - thanks. I love that Robert Frostonian lilting style.

Brain M - the sunlight was almost thick. Made me think of cheese that spreads as it heats.

Kerry - it has been an up and down spring and summer so far. Too hot too soon, then too much rain, then too cool too soon and now hot again. We are expecting more storms on Sunday but the heat will not break even so.

Marion said...

Oh, I recognize that heat and the build up for thunderstorms...you could have been writing about where I live. At least last year...

This year, it's been cool, but every afternoon we have thunder and lightning. It's usually dry lightning, but this year it's been accompanied by lots and lots of rain...very unusual! Every plant has usually dried out by now, but this year, we are surrounded by green! xx

Jo said...

That poem felt almost Emily Dickinson(ian). :-) Lovely!

The photo on your masthead is absolutely exquisite!

Judith said...

The melted cheese of the sun oozing down between the leaves --
Delicious! (all nuance intended)

I. Love. This. Entire. Poem.
A lot!!!!!!! A tour de force, Pauline.

Pauline said...

marion - you're finally going green ;)

Jo - thank you! It's a view of the pond across the road from my cottage

J - thanks. I like practicing with form and it was a HOT day when I wrote this.

Barbara said...

Love it! It's sure as hot as melted cheese here these days!