THINKING OF JIM ON A HOT AUGUST DAY

For Jim

A thankful breeze whispers its fine whoosh
Through the eucalyptus leaves above
On this hot August afternoon
The month of my birth
The month of the Lion
Who roars
And gives no quarter
Under this brazen summer sun
The shadows on the sun dried walls
Cracking paint
We are grateful for the kind leaves' shadows
Where is the rumored remembrance
Of my sister Autumn?
Cool forgiving air
And a graceful light
That flatters all in her wake
I await your entrance
As an impatient child
Brother
Have you abandoned me
Under these unforgiving skies?
I am just a girl
Simple flesh and blood
Receiving the blows of age with a mustered grace of my own
And carrying on in the steps of my forefathers
Hot
Blood
Anguish
Spawned from my daddy's loins
Oh Daddy!
Forgive me for I have sinned
Then one small sliver of light at evening's fall
Slides
Across the crest of our camp
Reminding us of the morrow's chance
Lest we forget
In the bliss of night
Alright!
Let me pay homage to the desert king
Brave warrior of the days of my youth
You abide in my dreamscape
My wandering thoughts
Perchance jotted down
On the tip of my pen
In a moment of righteous remembrance.

Love Cat