Hot August Days, August 16th, 2025

Doldrums of August, August 16th, 2025

It’s mid-August
And the heat is rising.
Water all must
Keep plants from expiring.

The sweat glands
Are perspiring
The plant demands
Circumscribing
Our lives.

Water here, water there.
Water the plants
Everywhere.

Faucets are turned.
Hoses unfurled.
Nozzles are pointed
The plants anointed.

The daily baptism
Of the daily Catechism.
The farmer sweats money
Turning dirt into honey.

The city sends a notice
“Using too much water there, Clovis.”
The water bill gets higher and higher.
The hot desert wind becomes an air fryer.

Clovis quits taking showers.
Saving water for the flowers.
He does his rain dance
On the odd chance
Of rain in an hour.

But the heat is unrelenting
Clovis tries repenting
For his many sins of the past.

For if the rains don’t fall
And no water from City Hall
His farm and garden won’t last.

Clovis hears plant screams
In his dreams.
He tosses and turns
His stomach churns
Nothing is what it seems.

The sound of sirens
Clovis is awake.
Action in his environs
Must be a mistake.

Clovis goes to the door
And sees water galore!
The fire hydrant a fountain
Water high as a mountain.

All falling on Clovis’s garden.
The plants sigh and are glad.
City man,“Beg your pardon.”
Clovis smiles. “Best day I’ve had.

Since May began
Heat and dry started.
Did what I can
Stop plants all departed.

Now the water falls
Onto my garden
No worries at all.
No worries regardin’

My plants are wet
I may sleep yet.
Wake me in December
If you remember.”

And Clovis went to sleep
In a sleep so deep,
He became a plant.
And he was happy at that.

“They can water me now.”
He dreamed.
“They can watch me grow.”
Nothing what it seemed.

…

Then Clovis woke up.
The garden all dry.
A tomato spoke up
“G’bye.”

And that was the end.
As much as Clovis did try.

TJM