Owls and Orchids

The gentle breeze blows cool

Against hot fevered skin

And moonlight glows faintly

The moon’s cool promise

On a landscape wrapped in velvet

The hoot of a watching Owl

Who sees all that moves in the night

A possum running along a branch

Leaping towards the sound

Of a parent watching nearby

A fox barks in the distance

Repeated thrice or more

Calling the family home again

The world sails softly along through nights hours

In cool and restful slumber

Preparing for the day to come

As dawn arrives once more

The golden globe rises over the far horizon

Golden sunrise over the treetops

Already its power can be felt by all

Temperatures surge ever higher

Dry and hot is what we’re told

It really is a farce

As the heat increases minute by minute

Like the bellows worked on a forge

All creatures great and small

Pant and pause in the humid air

To catch a refreshing breath

Yet there’s none to be found by any

Only the oily ooze of moisture

As we finally fall dessicated to the earth.

image from freelancerichardson.com