The sky is a punishment
fired by sun beating down
the Earth dries and cracks her skin
after long days without relief
we seek the shade
barely moving
become nocturnal
as everything around us
ripples and wilts
we lose sight of the ending
the break within the burn
the promise of cooler months
still before us
as we live inside the hopelessness
of a heat that never eases
a round-the-clock kiln
in which we are fired – Caroline A. Slee