Ninety-five in the Shade

In the middle of a heat wave...

Temperature is visible,

shimmers on the concrete;

old swampland humidifies,

adding to the heat

 

The atmosphere so heavy,

a rock that weighs you down,

oppressive, Mother Nature’s drudge;

the air in which you drown.

 

Ice cream vans show up each day,

peddling cold treats;

block parties, whole weekends

of dancing in the streets

 

Tomatoes vine their way

up rusted chain-link fences;

the noise, the smells, the brightness ~

assaults to all the senses

 

Neighbors venture outside

for gossip on the stoop

while beer once cold will quickly melt,

warm hops and barley soup

 

For country folk who’ve never known

these joys ~ well that’s a pity;

It’s quite the hot experience,

summer in the city.

 

Author's Note

Philadelphia's residential streets are brick ovens during a heat wave... stay cool, my friends!

captcha: sorcer. Thought it said "scorcher" at first...

Reviews

[kublakhan27]

Wow, the second stanza pretty much sums up my whole philosophy on Summer and how it feels to me...I could not have said it better myself haha I've said this a million times to nobody in particular, but I do not like the Summer as much as the average person...the heat just kills my creativity, and July and August are bad months for me in terms of getting anything written...I just find it too hard to concentrate in the heat...so this piece definitely reflects the story of my life...anyways enough about my life story haha This piece really brought the summer to life for me...I like the quirky little country/city connection at the end too...well done Rita :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, K! I am not a fan of the summer either - it stifles everything, even creativity - you are so right! I am used to city summers, but I eagerly await autumn!

[kublakhan27]

Haha my pleasure...I agree wholeheartedly ;)

[Antoinette Tarsitano-Mo..]

Ahh, glorious summer days....love them (even in the heatwaves) -- can you work in tasty margaritas in this poem??

[Rita L. Sev]

Sure, just substitute it for the beer... Warm tequila soup... :)

[Constance Payne]

Love IT! I miss the ice cream man being as I now live in the country...

[Rita L. Sev]

The ice cream is not nearly as tasty as it used to be... Thanks, Constance!

[rhythm&blues]

Fun read for the hot city summers.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks! A bit cooler today... :)

[lMarling]

This really captures the giddiness of summer. Really reminded me of the joyfulness. well written!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you!

[Onku Ghosh]

A nice light hearted poem on summer in the city.It is so hot that ''beer once cold will quickly melt/ warm hops and barley soup" nice lines.
It is so hot here in kolkata that i can completely relate to your poem.Enjoyed you write immensely

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Onku! A bit of relief today, I think... :)

[Kristin Lee]

Summer in the city is definitely a different experience than summer in the sticks! Very fun poem Rita :)

[Rita L. Sev]

I am sure it is! Thanks, Kristin!

[wunder]

~ah~this poem is the my street-old ladies gossiping and chain smoking in the 'shade'-music and "warm hops and barley soup" ~from midnight-'till dawn~i love it!~ :))

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, James! Yes, these are images I know well... :)

[wunder]

~ah-you're welcome...yep-it's that time of year~ :))

[Kwiksie Ifediora]

trust me, i can imagine what you went through. You can fry eggs and bacon on your roofing sheets where I live. lol
i like your descriptiveness though... i could see it all through them words. :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Kwiksie! Just had a brief rain shower, so it cooled off a bit... :)

[Aethereal]

I love this description of a heat wave in the city with its touch of rhyme. It inspired me to write your first verse in another way which you may have as a gift. I used /0/0/ five syllable meter:

Heat

Hot refracting air
rises from concrete.
Moisture building there
adds to stifling heat.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Aethereal. Philadelphia was pretty much built on swampland - this is why I chose that reference.

[Aethereal]

This must mean that there are pools of quicksand surging beneath the city that bubble to the surface at times consuming concrete sidewalks, playgrounds, and small buildings.