earth note 124

a heat wave in april
the hummer is dead
gm & chrysler
hands in our pocket
like an unwelcome
feel-up

four deer
came off the ridge
up to the yard
to munch
a dessert
a flower bed

stop lights
have stopped working
just the caution yellow one
won't give up
a flash
a garbled message

--- e b bortz

what looks green in april

between chaiya and thachana
surat thani province thailand

can be soothing
or deceiving
when the bicycle road turns hot
& rough
immediately aware
your water
near empty
a lone water buffalo
works distant fields
slow motion haze
draws heavy on the lungs
an oasis of coconut shade
distant
the only reprieve
from the tar & scorch

i collapsed beneath
the tallest ones
on my back the coconut leaves
broke the sky blue into small parts
sun spilled over the leaf edges
but filtered out the harshness
no moisture left
body pores dry
eyes giving up
& drooping
i imagined a waterfall

wake up was a group of teenagers
crossing the road to see the stranger
& without words
a wiry kid shimmies up the tallest tree
slashes down a couple of large coconuts
a hole is cut
we all drink
talk
drink again
coconut milk joins a water bottle
a symbolic send-off
a dozen eyes form a circle
.....sun and spirits speak
.....their own tongue

--- e b bortz