Thursday 8 August 2013

Heatwave

Twenty: a walk in the park
The touch of fresh, white linen
Scent of magnolias in the dark
Olive faces of Greek women
I trail my fingers in a fountain
The cicadas are singing
Pines clothe the cool mountain

Thirty: tomatoes fail to thrive
I have to water them on the hour
Question: should I keep them alive?
Extreme loss of will-power
The dogs are too hot to yelp
I’m praying for a shower
– Not that it would help

Forty: the odour of rotting fruit
Creeps along the alley
Sweat breaks through my suit
It feels like death valley  
I don’t like this at all  
I wish that it was January
Paint is blistering on the wall

Fifty: to be outside is stupidity
To be inside is no joke
Extreme humidity
Increases the risk of heat stroke
Cracked throat, can’t cough
I’m not a fit bloke
Body functions are turning off

Sixty: too hot for Special Forces
Stopped sweating hours ago
Stench of rotting horses
Blood pressure is low
The failure of thermoregulation
Means there is nowhere left to go –
The last train is leaving the station

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