The times are changing and with them summer, it seems. Goodbye strawberries and cream, hello the hell of heat and humidity. Many of the entries for this competition focused on the queasy rather than easy of the rubric, emphasising insects, weeds, sea levels concern, lawn-shaming, absence of AC, travel problems, fire and flood as well as the dreaded CC-words.
Below, in no particular order, and with thanks to all who took part before preparing to face the burning fiery furnace, are the results of this ominous exercise.
Gail White: Louisiana Summer
To some, the summer means the sun,
to some it means the rain,
but here, alas, it mostly means
another hurricane.
The shore retreats, the ocean gains,
with every passing year.
But when the next disaster comes,
will FEMA still be here?
Denial is our normal state.
On climate change we thrive.
We do not vaccinate our kids,
and some are still alive.
But pour another Bayou Beer,
break out the crawfish pies.
We’ll watch the sunset from the pier
as ocean levels rise.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Steven Kent: Southern Summer
In Tennessee the spring comes in,
We blink and then it’s gone again--
We pass from cool and lovely nights
Straight on to temps that hit new heights.
The summer sun creates a haze
Which hangs around for days and days;
The scorching heat is like a torch
That burns full-time on hell’s front porch.
But worst of all would have to be
Unbearable humidity,
Where each and every passing hour
Is like a sticky walking shower
From which we never fully dry,
And so the months drag slowly by.
I really, truly cannot see
How folk lived here before AC.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
David Dumouriez: Two Tales Of One Summer
Alpha:
The countdown starts, and daily I’ll discard
my clothes. I’m never slow in that regard.
At first, the sleeves fall off. Next, legs exposed.
Soon after sees the 8-pack unenclosed.
Before you’ve realised it, I’ve turned to brown;
on any beach, I’m sure to wear the crown.
Just watch me swim to lengths that others fear.
Don’t worry, though, I’ll double those next year!
Beta:
Hang on, spring, please don’t go so soon -
I’m not done with my parka yet!
My body, still, is underhewn;
the gym and I too rarely met.
The sea’s no friend, but sirens hail
then mock each reddened lump and limb,
each ludicrous aquatic fail.
One day, I swear, I’ll learn to swim . . .
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Alan Millichip: Summer
From equinox to equinox
It’s how our seasons go,
The summer one is keenly sought
Yet often fails to show;
High expectations always mean
That no one’s ever pleased,
Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry
We feel that we’ve been teased.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Mike Mesterton-Gibbons: The End Of Summer
The first of June's a date I dread: it says
Hello to summer, season of delayed
Excursions, gridlocked airports, cancelled res-
Ervations, sun with insufficient shade
(No air con), perspiration and a gar-
Den overrun by weeds and insects, spied
On by the neighbours whose three passions are
Forensic lawn care (with a herbicide),
Solicitously grooming every bloom
(Unblemished by their arthropods, which sprays
Mow down) and dropping hints that I should groom,
Maintaining tension all through summer's days ...
Except on August thirty one, when I
Relax – for then the end of summer's nigh!
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Marshall Begel: Childhood Swim Lessons
I longed for my summer vacation, until
My folks said I needed a life-saving skill.
So lessons for swimming came into the fold –
my only objection: the pool's always cold.
I stepped between puddles, I dipped my big toe.
I climbed down the ladder till dunking . . . too low.
The shock to my system can't be oversold –
the water that day was unbearably cold!
They threatened with grounding, they bribed me with dimes
(which almost succeeded a couple of times).
No matter how craftily grown-ups cajoled,
I wouldn't get in if the water was cold.
I somehow (begrudgingly) learned how to float,
which should be enough, if I fall off some boat.
Recall on Titanic: a thousand, all told,
survived a quick drowning, to die from the cold!
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lida Bushloper: Scorched
“Sumer is icumen in”
When flies and fleas proliferate.
Mosquitoes, gnats and all their kin
Swarm and buzz and masticate
Pavements sizzle in the heat.
We battle crowds at beach and pool.
Our sandals’ soles melt on our feet.
We can’t remember being cool.
A/C barely makes a dent
In humid air that sits like lead.
Running it costs more than rent.
But without it we’d be dead.
The unrelenting sun beats down
On flora, fauna and us folks.
The earth and all its contents brown,
But climate change is just a hoax.
