Summertime
©June20th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
Girls in cool tank tops
And short shorts, flashing leg,
Sipping iced mochas
And strolling through
Echo-y shopping malls,
Spending money and time
And tossing their hair
In pert insouciance,
Aware of their power.
Boys in packs, talking loudly
Swearing, chewing, drinking beer
Playing ball, throwing frisbees,
Going to movies, eyeing girls,
Spitting, shouting, laughing
Immoderately, punctuating
Everything with obscenities.
Air-conditioned cars and homes,
Smoothies, lemonade, beer
Ice-cream, lobster, tacos, pizza,
Burritos, salsa, chicken tikka masala,
Coffeehouses, bars, boats,
Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod,
New Hampshire, Vermont,
Ah, yes, Summertime is delicious!
Burning forests in Canada
Forty-nine killed in crazed nightclub massacre,
Syrian families drowned in raging seas,
Heat waves wash over suffering cities
Farmers die in despair
While crops fail again and again
And the Inferno marches in and
Burns everything in its wake.
Women cry over dying children,
Children cry over dying mothers,
Food dries up before it reaches mouths
And when the water burns all they touch,
They know it’s Summertime –
And the living ain’t easy.
Summertime
When the forests are burning
Fish are dying, and the methane is high
And the trees breathe fumes
And the lakes are all drying up
But, hush, my loving people,
Don’t you fear!
Don’t you fear that things will burn
Because you know they will
While you sit still.
So, surrender to despair:
Give in, hold your head in your hands,
And weep.
It’s okay.