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

[Jennifer Gladen]

Loved it. My fav line: "the air in which you drown". Been feeling that all week :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Yep - summer in Philly... :) Thank you!

[The Verse: A Poetry Jou..]

"shimmers on the concrete" " assault to all the senses" your diction is superb, your description is filled with appreciation and love for your surroundings, even though you are discussing a heat wave! Not once do you catch a tone with another emotion. Interesting, very well written, thank you for sharing!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Dan! Yes, I really do love my city; I know these sights well... :)

[Angel]

Hot town, summer in the city, feelin' so fine and lookin' so pretty
Cool cat, lookin' for a kitty, gonna look in every corner of the city

Or something like that...it's been a couple of years you know.

We went and got one of those above ground pools...they make them all of five feet deep these days.
I wouldn't go through and Alabama summer without it.


Stay Cool!!!!

[Rita L. Sev]

Sitting in the AC after a short walk to the store. Yep - streets are shimmering, and kids are out in their little pools... :)

[Frieda P]

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty

Now I want to dance! Nice one Rita...
Pass the beer & cheers!

[Rita L. Sev]

Time for a block party! :) Thanks, Frieda.

[SyberRose]

Let me tell you ...i grew up without air conditioning and believe me its a good thing I was young...I lived not far from you as you know...and to get cool I would go to the five and ten cent stores and they kept the stores freezing cold...plus i had hay fever back then too...I dont any more though but they were the good ole days ha.

[Rita L. Sev]

We only had a window unit in my parents' bedroom. At night, we'd sleep on the floor in there. During the day, the hose would be our salvation - unless someone opened the fire hydrant...

[SyberRose]

you had a hose haa wow.

[ANTO]

LOL @ that captcha - who said robots don't have a sense of humour?
I'm just out of the shower Rita (no....no....wait for it..lol) and I felt I needed another after reading this piece - it put me down in a hot Philly street as sure as if I'd Google Streetviewed on my laptop it in a sauna.
Brilliantly descriptive and all too real.
X

[Rita L. Sev]

Ha! Didn't mean to cause a heatwave from your laptop, but kinda glad that the descriptions brought you to Philly... enjoy your stay! LOL!

[ANTO]

Wow! What a friendly city...
Aww (HUG)
X

[Angi]

I remember those days in IL! I couldn't get to the ice cream truck fast enough. I spent the whole summer in my bathing suit, splashing in a kiddie pool that felt as big as the ocean! Imagery is so good, Rita! Angi~

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, Angi! The ice cream used to taste better in those days... :)