Taking a last deep breath
of the cool circulating air,
I open the car door and step out
into the Texas heat.
Palpable and cloying, it hits me:
steamy fingers clawing little troughs of sweat
along forehead, cheeks, and back;
the wetness sticky on my skin as it trickles and evaporates.
I think about the two Ansel Adams photographs on my desk:
Cathedral Spires with its snowy peaks
stretching upward like fingers grasping at heaven;
El Capitan, partly blotted out by tendrils of snow
that smoke and curl as if coughed up by a prairie chimney.
Overheated cells cool
as light and shadow play in my mind;
blowing snow fills the furrows
of sweat, creating tiny snow drifts in their place.
The pavement, cracked, buckled, and baked
by too many summers,
begs moisture and shade beneath my feet;
but I'm untouched by the Texas heat.
Author notes
A/N: How does one cool off during the relentless Texas summers?
What did you think of this poem?
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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This is an invasion of my imagination, in that it holds me to the read and I reach in to see your hand.
Hail the poetess!
Ron.
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Damn fine piece of work. You possess excellent writing skills as well a penchant for a good story line. Happy trails neighbor
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This is a beautifully written poem... I loved the ending the best... I'm from Australia, so I don't know how hot it gets in Texas, but you have written it so well that I'm not sure I ever want to find out
masterful use of language made this really enjoyable to read
Keep writing
Polly -
Excellent poem, woven in out with sceens of majesty and normalcy. I love Ansel Adams and lived in Houston once upon a time. Your tallent has captured them both. With this one read, you are another favorite and i will read more.
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Cool and refreshing
How to cool off? Well Eowynn, besides going into the cave at Helmsdeep, I guess you could do what we have to do here; go find a shopping centre and just sit under the aircon.
I have always enjoyed Ansel's black and white studies of American landscapes. This poem does the two you have reflected on good justice. Using something visually cool to tune out the oppresive heat.
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Wow. Yosemite in winter and Texas in summer! Talk about going to a cool place in your head. Loved your descriptions of Adam's photos. Really f/64.
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The pavement, cracked, buckled, and baked
by too many summers,
begs moisture and shade beneath my feet;
but I'm untouched by the Texas heat.
I can see the description is made to reveal the truth of the heart..and a heart that is the poet's heart..so much inclination in the rythem of this poetry is the beauty of this work..well done...
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i think the flow to this is really great, maybe poems can get caught up and flouder and stutter when they go down the path of quoting lyrics or people, but this never did, and the imagery of the heat was really good, especially the last poem
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