Drought Summer
 
Parade of (small, first-world) horribles:
hematoma, poison ivy, broken toe.
Arsenal of emollients: calamine, Prednisone,
sertraline, bupropion, trazadone—
Drought-ravaged gardens, watering ban,
gypsy caterpillars, Donald Trump, wedding,
breakup, kids home, kids gone,
father’s heart and kidney weakening—
can’t last forever.
The house rebelled—AC broken, internet down,
bathtub leaking, ceiling stained, end-of-summer ants,
fierce yellow jackets and paper wasps nestbuilding—
this is no paradise.
 
And yet: clear night sky with shifting show of stars,
birds at first light in continuous rehearsal,
a swallowtail, a monarch, a hummingbird fascinated
by a fuchsia-colored shirt—darting away, returning,
disappearing in the dry August air.

 

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