Bone Dry

Bone Dry


These last days of summer have left me weary.
Heat has climbed,
and climbed, reaching
the two crows on their wire,
fading blue black to dust.
The geraniums, cooking in clay pot
once succeeding brilliant
look uncertain, plain...
done.


My energy lags...
clever wit gone dry as my garden.
Brittle thoughts rustle,
cracked and withered in the glare.


I watch the sky for rain.




Copyright ©2000 Susan Kennedy

 We've come so close to breaking the record for consecutive days over 100 degrees and I just wanted to smack the silly tv weather persons for hoping for it!  I'm pretty sure that in my little corner of Texas we did.  46 straight days of mostly 102-109 temps ... then a break of two days barely below 100 and we've started another heat streak.  Yesterday WAS a record-breaking 107 for the date in Texas. 

It's actually been too miserable outside past noon each day to enjoy summer the way we normally do.  Pool and lake water is tepid at best, bathwater warm at worst and not worth the risk of blistered feet to get to it!  I could whine for a while about the loss of our more carefree, fun summer days, but that wouldn't make it any cooler, would it? We've made do with movies, trips to the library and walks after dark.  I'm just so thankful that the air conditioners in house and car are holding out for us and the threatened rolling blackouts haven't actually happened as yet and (though it's not enough) we are still allowed to water grass and shrubs 2X a week and sprinkler play with the kids & pets during that time becomes really special. I guess we'll know the true extent of the damage to root systems and foundation later.  First lack of time made my house & yard look sad and neglected ... now I have just a bit more time and there is not much left to tend!

I was so hoping to get back to the beach this summer, but Hub's vacation time has been put off, postponed and finally vetoed outright due to changes within his company. Scary stuff and there is always the sense that one dare not complain in this economy!  Now there is talk about working through the upcoming Labor Day holiday as well ... not a good thing ... and I worry about him.
 
School starts Monday and I feel for those poor teachers and students; heat does not make for happy, energetic instruction nor enthusiastic, cooperative learning!  Oh, what a good rain and cooler temps will do for the spirits around here as well as the green and flowering things!  Come on, Fall!!


***Note:  As you can see, I started working on this post last weekend - and never had time to finish it.  Not much has changed wrt the heat, that's for sure - other than we've truly beaten more than a few records now. I think we've now had 69 days of temps over 100 for the year.