Tag Summer

Bitter sun – Poetic Bloomings

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the (hang)-dog days of summer

tangle themselves in my hair

and the curlicue corkscrews plaster themselves

to my forehead, shiny and greasy with sweat.

I attempt to cool myself

and enjoy a chilled glass of wine

but all I get is a headache

a dry mouth and a hankering for shade.

Summer nights under the stars ain’t all that –

in the northern hemisphere,

once the sun has gone and the sky is cloudless

you’re wishing for your duvet

and a hot cup of tea.

stars may be beautiful, tiny jewels above your head

but they don’t protect you from the chill

and crawling gooseflesh skin.

Yah, kissed by the sun is just  a euphemism –

for scorching sunburn –

for skin raked raw by sand

and swimsuit straps,

and don’t even tell me about trying to pat yourself dry after that needle-sharp shower.

Me? I love summer…

 

Here’s my latest offering to my new found love – ah, Poetic Bloomings, you are a treasure! Tonight, we are asked to use four (or more) of the ten phrases that are often used to sum up the summer experience.

I had great fun with this – and please, take it all as tongue in cheek. I love what passes for Summer here in the UK, although I do wish we had more, errr, sun!

Please do hope on over to Poetic Bloomings to take part, or just read and enjoy!

Equinox – Prompt Night A Dash of Sunny

freyathewriter 23 Comments

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There fell upon this rain-drenched land

A ray of light, a soothing hand

of cheer, of warmth, of hope and light

of future joys, such a delight

to the wind-battered peoples down below

who hid ‘neath coats, who struggled so

through darkened morns, and chill-bound eves

who no longer had the will to believe

in evenings soothed with the orb so rare

who sets lights a-shining in young girls’ hair.

 

This week, A Dash of Sunny invites us to write a poem inspired by Summer. My offering is a little tongue-in-cheek since we have had all types of weather here since Summer officially began. Today, I am bathed in sunshine as I write, but earlier in the day we had short, sharp downpours, interspersed with gloriuus blue skies and thunder as well!

Why not join in and take part? All are welcome and your host is a simply lovely lady!

Yokoburi – dVerse Haibun Monday

freyathewriter 49 Comments

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I need windscreen wipers for my glasses and a windproof umbrella. My coat needs sleeves with elasticated cuffs to shield my wrists from the chill deluge. I need shoes that don’t let the water in, that are impervious to the puddles. I need to love the rain. I relax into the squall, lift my eyes to the skies, admire the lowering clouds, see them pregnant and heavy with fat, luscious raindrops, relax my shoulders and smile. My fellow commuters, marching head-down across London Bridge might think me mad if they took a moment to look up from their intense march towards the office, the coffee shop, the cafe, the next bus stop. But if they did take that moment to look around them, perhaps that might mean they were rejoicing in Nature in all her English summer unpredictability too?

Lifting my eyes

to the clouds over sky-line

I become raindrops.

 

This is my first attempt at dVerse Haibun Monday – and how apt! This evening the sky was cloudless as I left London, and it was beautifully warm. This morning – well, it felt like Autumn, with wind, intense rain and to top it all – yep, it was Monday. The haibun does indeed reflect what happened – I realised I was making myself tense and a little bit more than a little bit fed up with fighting the elements, so decided to go with the flow. And believe me, there was a great deal of water swirling in the air and on the pavements!

Thank you to Toni for hosting! I hope my offering is what she is looking for. I’m no expert at haibun, am a little ‘light’ on what a ‘proper’ haibun is like, but I think I’ve gone some way to achieving what has been asked for!

Yokoburi is Japanese for ‘driving rain’. Who knew there were so many words for different types of rain, as Toni kindly shares with us?

Why not join in, or if you don’t feel up to it, at least pop on over and read what others have offered up?