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

[Samuel Dickens]

The last line made me sing, "Hot time, summer in the city, back of my neck gettin' dirt and gritty". You'd better move to the country, Rita.

[Rita L. Sev]

Well, as uncomfortable as it may be, it's home... :) Thanks for reading, Sam!

[Samuel Dickens]

Where the heart is. Yes, I understand.

[Jack...]

"Hot child in the city" Rita, I experience this heat often and you have captured nicely in your wonderful poem.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, Jack. I figured, if I can't beat the heat, I may as well write about it!

[Samuel Jack]

very good imagery in here, I dont know why but I feel like you could do without the first stanza, it seemed a little obvious to me, but thats only because you had already left a description of the poem.
Realy enjoyed this little stroll around Philly, I could for a cheese steak now!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Samuel! Philly actually is surrounded (an in part built on) swampland. I think of this every summer. Glad you enjoyed these sights of the city - but I suggest a soft pretzel and lemon water ice instead of that cheesesteak! :)

[SteveB]

Well done! And I appreciate the hat tip to Philly's daughter Martha [and the Vandellas] in the third stanza. Were you thinking of NY's own John Sebastian with the last line?

You brought back memories of the old neighborhood. The only thing missing was the sound of transistor radios playing either the Met or Yankee game depending upon which house you were in front of.

[Rita L. Sev]

Ah - the radios... only, of course around here it was the Phillies game from every house... :) Thanks, Steve - glad this took you back!

[K. Louis]

Fun write, good flow..clear images. :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, K!

[ShelleyA]

Hi Rita. A great write. You could be talking about my neighborhood in Brooklyn. We're in the midst of a heat wave... it's been so hot that the blacktop is getting soft, and the humidity... it's wet. I like the imagery of this piece. You paint a vivid picture that any reader can see in their mind's eye. As always, the rhyme is very good. A good mix of feminine and masculine end line rhyme that is executed very well. Good depth of feeling. Excellent closing verse. Well penned. Write on!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Shelley. I took a brief walk outside this afternoon... Bad idea! So glad to be back in the AC!

[ShelleyA]

You're welcome.

[Will]

NYC is killer right about now. Really not, and a great many of the scenes you describe in Philly take place here too. I saw everything happen as you describe it, and it flows very nicely and is very upbeat. Great work.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Will yep, Philly and NYC run about the same temperature-wise, and I figure most cities enjoy these hot festivities!

[Clockwork]

My Dad, who lived in the city into his 20's, often spoke about those sort of days and the block parties in the streets. At that time, he lived in a mostly Italian section of the city. I think the fifth stanza was my favorite here, particularly for that community atmosphere and the "while beer once cold will quickly melt,/warm hops and barley soup." Stay cool and enjoy the festivities!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, C. At least in that section, the food is the best! :)

[Marie]

It was a hundred and five last week at the time. Here in S.A. we just drooped.

[Rita L. Sev]

I feel like I'm melting... :)

[Baby Ricochet]

Sounds hot. The south is hot, Atlanta is an oven in July.

[Rita L. Sev]

Yep - it's summertime all over!