An Irish Heatwave

Summer 2018: A poem

Image by Hedda Werner from Pixabay

Refined, she spoke well
Her words, she chose softly
My companion on a journey
Of a vista of reminiscing
On a city of change in a silent movie
From black and white to color
So personable and refined
Seated along side of her
I dared not stir, for fear my weight
Might suffocate the story of her words
On the topic of the month
Ireland in its turmoil of climate change
A heat remarkable in its appearance
Unprecedented — sweltering
The land — it offered the perfect
Small talk and served platters
Of lobster-skinned bodies
On beaches and barbecues —
Six weeks of no rain nor respite
Brown and yellow the new green
Forest fires upcountry and water rationing
For all the direness in our chat
I almost missed the tap of rain
Upon the windowpane —
With a grace of demure elation
She smiled — “Ah, a light drizzle,” she said
“Just enough to keep down the dust.”