Will the monsoons ever come?
Will water rise in the wash?
Will we be able to fish
like Dad and I did last year?
Once more?
Yes, the monsoons will bring
the river back and water
will rush through the wash.
But now it is summer
and the bats fly at night
swoop in circles catching bugs
and sunsets come
in reds, purple, orange.
How pretty.
This poem is inspired by NOW IT IS WINTER, written by Eileen Spinelli,
Her picture book was illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma, published by
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, copyright 2004. And, as you can see this is the fifth day I've been adding verses to this poem. Our monsoons haven't started yet, but they should be arriving soon, in the meantime we fight the heat. It does explain why our kids get out of school in May. One wonders what people did before air conditioning. Oh, I do remember--swamp coolers.And I remember driving over desert roads with a canvas bag hanging from the radiator for extra water to keep the radiator cool.
What things do you do to stay cool in the summer? This is your challenge for today, write a poem about things to do to stay cool. When I was young I'd go to the matinee at the movie theater, or to the library to stay cool on hot summer days. Have fun writing your poem.
A children's poem presents unlimited possibilities.
I loved reading through all of these gorgeous desert images. We are having an usually cool, wet summer in Colorado and you make me feel the heat. These poems feel like a picture book in the making.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. We'll see where these poems take me. Last night was bloom night for the Queen of the Desert (Night Blooming Cereus) so I'm also thinking of the wait we went through for that. The flowers are really beautiful, but they last only one night. The Tohono Chul gardens in Tucson have a big event for bloom night, but one is never sure when it is going to be, until you get an email that says tonight is the night. Bring your flashlight. I'm thinking I must write some poems about this event.
DeleteJoy,
ReplyDeleteThe hope of time spent fishing when the monsoons come captured my heart. What a precious childhood memory!