Grass grows patchy in bristling brown spikes (if it grows at all). The smooth-complexioned face of land now sunburned and cracked under unrelenting heat. Fields once flush with fruits go barren, pleading through parched throats and chapped lips that no kiss of water or answered prayer has yet come to soften, for August doesn’t care about religion or rain dances.
***
FOWC, W3, dVerse, and retroactively Poets and Storytellers United. I took inspiration from Timothy Price. Also inspired by one of my own poems.
Jewish Young Professional 
That is an excellent drought poem that captures the dry and desperate plants and landscape. Thanks for the link. I so happy gave you a little inspiration for this wonderful piece.
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Thank you. The image of the rain as kisses craved by the thirsty ground really stuck with me.
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seeing that cracked and thirsty ground every day makes an impression.
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Great poem that depicts drought completely 🙂
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Thanks!
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Reblogged this on From guestwriters and commented:
Who knows, July and August will be recorded as the warmest and driest months in Europe since records began.
One can only hope that now, with all the fires and other natural disasters that are coming to our regions, there will be a greater awareness that something must be done to combat global warming.
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Very nicely done. August does make the plants beg and plead for a small sip!
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I felt for the poor plants!
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People seems to be having opposite curses in different parts of the globe. One by fire, one by flood, one by drought.
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Confession: this poem is made up, as, to my knowledge, my geographic region is not experiencing a drought. I just thought it was believable so I wrote it. But I do think it’s interesting that there’s such divergent experiences of weather globally this time of year.
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This is incredibly palpable and tugs strongly on my heart. I especially resonate with; “Fields once flush with fruits go barren, pleading through parched throats and chapped lips that no kiss of water or answered prayer
has yet come to soften.” Thank you so much for adding your voice to the prompt ❤❤
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Thanks! Land is tricky to personify, but I really liked this image and I am glad to hear it resonated.
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Terrific!
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Thanks!
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My pleasure, darling.
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You captured the aridity of an August bereft of rain so perfectly.
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Thank you!
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Love this spot on poem.
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Thank you! It seems that this description is unfortunately apt for many geographic areas this summer…
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Yes, too little rain in many places, and too much rain in others. Even flooding in Las Vegas, which normally has very little rain.
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It does seem like a season of extremes in both directions
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Unfortunately August has its dark side. An excess of heat is too cruel.. Good alliteration.
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It definitely has a cruel side, no question.
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Wow, great poem. I love it. Felt like this could be about more than one kind of drought. Great job 🙂
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Thanks! Yeah, I felt this could apply to more than one type of unanswered prayer. Thanks for providing part of the inspiration
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Nicely done!
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Thanks!
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Your verse is especially germane this year.
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It is. Although a bit distressing that so many regions seem to be experiencing brutal heat this summer
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That is true. August doesn’t care. And I live her mostly because she’s getting me closer to fall. Yay.
So I adore Autumn.
Your poem, lovely. I adore it to pieces too. Thanks for sharing. Blessing as always.
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Your comment offers such a positive spin on August, and I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you Selma. It probably comes as no surprise that I, the eternal pessimist, have a consistently negative view. Last August, I wrote this one (https://jewishyoungprofessional.wordpress.com/2021/08/03/current-mood/) and after all that whining, I booked a totally selfish impulsive vacation for myself and had a great time. Moral of the story – complain less. Thank you for sharing
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Delightfully vivid! We just had some severe thunder storms last night… I’ve been “kissed” enough!!
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Hahaha!!!
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the land and lips are telltale signs. This made me realize I’m thirsty.
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Hey if my poem reminds you to stay hydrated, all the better!
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Indeed, August can be merciless … in Central Oregon I awaken many mornings to hazy sun and the smell of distant wildfires. Your poem is exquisitely composed.
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August can definitely be merciless. Your description of Central Oregon mornings is very poetic
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Absolutely stellar last two lines!
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Thank you!!
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All your inspirations have coalesced into something new and potent.
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Thank you! This actually isn’t a poetry blog, so I try to write all my blog poetry to cover multiple prompts so I don’t overwhelm the blog with too many poems. Granted, too much poetry is hardly a catastrophic problem, like, I don’t know, a drought or something, lol.
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😀
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Waiting for the relief that is never coming…agonizing.
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It is so awful to be stuck waiting and never receiving.
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Dunno how I missed this one! The funny thing, I find August to be a relief in some way. No need to feel at odds with all the blooming greenery. We’re all dry and dying and depressed now!
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You know, there’s something oddly refreshing about this. August is like the shittiest part of summer because the novelty of summer has worn off and it’s just unbearably hot and miserable. Kinda like how February is the crappiest month of winter. The novelty of snow has worn off and it’s just cold and miserable.
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I love seeing that dead grass!
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I’m really impressed that you just made this up, JYP – it’s incredibly vivid and believable.
❤
David
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Thanks! Imagination isn’t my strongest suit but I try.
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Although I understand the problems with excessive heat I bitterly dread cold weather so often forget the evils of August’s dark side
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I guess that’s good in a way too. Better to be appreciative than miserable. It’s just that miserable and complaining is so much easier than appreciation.
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it’s been very dry here for a very long time, and brutal forest fires were so bad last year, this year has been better. getting some rain lately, but now with all the burn scars and hard dry ground, flash floods are a danger again. your poem hit a tender spot in my soul… also made me thirsty
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You don’t have to tell me your location – it’s telling that several of my readers around the world have said that this is resonating with some sort of extreme weather condition in their area. Which, as a poet, was cool feedback. But as a human, it’s a little weird. It doesn’t sit well to think so many places experience this. I’m thirsty too now.
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well, this is accelerated climate change in progress, this is just the start, it gets worse from here. i’m in colorado. here in the southwest, states like new mexico, arizona, california, colorado, are already starting to engage in waterr wars (and don’t mean with guns and tanks, not yet anyway, but with lawsuits and water rights challenges) right now the state of nebraska is trying to finance a canal that will cross the border into colorado , two hundred miles, to syphon more water from the platte river. we already have a water agreement with them, but they are scared, water is drying up quick out here. it’s been a rather weird legal battle. los vagas has begun the process of removing all grass from most of their public lands, replacing it with tree and shrubs that use much less water, installing drip irrigation systems, they estimate by this time next year, or sooner, they won’t have enough drinking water.
you shouldn’t get me started on this subject, i’ll just go on and on and on
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The sad thing is that I could totally envision these state water rights wars escalating to the guns and tanks variety
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yeah, i hear you, things are getting tense, vital issues being ignored… it’s getting kind of scary
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It is scary. I wrote this piece last year (https://jewishyoungprofessional.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/american-pie/) and the fact that it feels even more true as time has passed is really quite unsettling.
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JYP,
I just want to let you know that this week’s W3 is now live:
Much love,
David
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The thirst of the land pleads ,so well brought out . In our part of the world we had faced the threat of flood a week ago
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[…] light it on fire, sacrificing it to small gods. But you’ll learn the universe never gave a damn about religion or rain dances, that rationality is a cruel comfort. Fewer days remain of this life, transient as the wind, so, […]
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