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    Headstall
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Lyrical Laments - 10. Chapter 10 Heatwave

Damn, it's hot! I took a little walk today....

 

 

Heatwave

 

 

I make the decision to forgo blowing fans

As sweat streams out of each pore

Instead choose a place to dispel lethargy

A sanctuary long part of my lore

 

A heart that pounds with each draining step

Heavy limbs unable to meet measure

The sun’s oppression dictates my limits

As a silent killer strips pleasure

 

There is little distance between life and death

As nature bends to this harsh glowing mass

Flexing its muscles in scorching glory

We are but insects under Sherlock’s glass

 

Heated air lays claim to my lungs

As tendrils blast up from baked earth

Warning this day is not for the weak

Such a foe deserves a wide berth

 

Breaths become pants before reaching my goal

Ahead lies the deliverance I seek

Usually so close but now seeming miles

A trifling trek has suddenly turned bleak

 

Entering the forest begins my renewal

Beneath this canopy life rules over death

It’s a sanctuary the mother provides

And I smile as I gulp a cool breath

 

Here I stand in a wonder of nature

Among goliaths who’ve conquered and thrive

Once again feeling very much the ant

Yet here is where I feel most alive

 

In this magical place on the hottest of days

I find my needed respite

I think I will sit here and whittle a while

Before I return to the blistering white

 

 

*

Thanks for reading. :)  
Copyright © 2017 Headstall; All Rights Reserved.
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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I could feel the heat in the first part of this verse, and the coolness beneath the trees in the second. As a resident of a forest and a lover of same, I enjoyed this very much!

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2 minutes ago, Geron Kees said:

I could feel the heat in the first part of this verse, and the coolness beneath the trees in the second. As a resident of a forest and a lover of same, I enjoyed this very much!

Thanks, Geron... hope you are well. It is freaking hot in my area, so I'm lucky to have my refuge. Unfortunately, the wifi doesn't reach that far. :P . I am very attached to my own little piece of forest. It provides me so much, feeding my soul and giving me peace when I most need it. I'm pleased you enjoyed this one. It's been a while since I posted poetry. :)  Cheers... Gary....

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You made me swelter just reading each line at the beginning; I feared one of us would succumb to heatstroke. And then you enter the green refuge of the trees. How well the forest can cool the body and refresh the mind. You depict this wonderfully well. Everyone needs a forest kind of place. Thank you for this respite from the heat...

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5 minutes ago, Parker Owens said:

You made me swelter just reading each line at the beginning; I feared one of us would succumb to heatstroke. And then you enter the green refuge of the trees. How well the forest can cool the body and refresh the mind. You depict this wonderfully well. Everyone needs a forest kind of place. Thank you for this respite from the heat...

Thanks, Parker. It's hard to function in this kind of heat, and I'm feeling frustrated that I can't get much done... I was on a roll, working on my house. My forest helps make it bearable, fortunately. The difference in temperature is startling... and welcomed. :)  Yes, I wish everyone had access to a forest... truly magical when you slow down and let it seep in. Cheers... Gary....

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I was in Sydney in over Xmas and New Year the hottest day then was 47.5 degrees centigrade or 117.5 F. It was way too hot. 

An interesting article 

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11 minutes ago, Bft said:

I was in Sydney in over Xmas and New Year the hottest day then was 47.5 degrees centigrade or 117.5 F. It was way too hot. 

An interesting article 

The last four days have been 109 or more, so I know the feeling. Thanks for leaving a comment on my poem, Bft. I'm lucky I have a little piece of forest to escape to. :)  Cheers... Gary....

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21 minutes ago, dughlas said:

Respite under the trees ...

Something you are quite familiar with... you and the wee lad. :)  Thanks, dugh... cheers... Gary....

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Gary, I am glad you wrote poetry again. I liked it very much and can so relate to it. Temperatures in The Netherlands are in the high 70s/low 80s.
The grass is brown and there are restrictions on using water to wash a car or water the garden, even restrictions on how long we can shower.
For a country below sea level,  very unusual. I live close to the German border and we have in my area great woods, and like you, I love to go for a walk or 
just sit for a while and enjoy nature.

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I need to go wipe the sweat off now.  I loved the buildup to the relief of the forest.  I also like the "insects under Sherlock's glass"  line.  Nicely done.  :) 

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17 minutes ago, Job said:

Gary, I am glad you wrote poetry again. I liked it very much and can so relate to it. Temperatures in The Netherlands are in the high 70s/low 80s.
The grass is brown and there are restrictions on using water to wash a car or water the garden, even restrictions on how long we can shower.
For a country below sea level,  very unusual. I live close to the German border and we have in my area great woods, and like you, I love to go for a walk or 
just sit for a while and enjoy nature.

Thanks, Job! I'm glad too. I sort of lost the desire to post poetry for a little while. I have written a few verses here and there, but never finished them. I guess it's summer where you are too... this has been a hot one this past four days... unbearably so. My grass is still green, but if this keeps up it won't be much longer. It's good you get to enjoy some forest... I'm lucky to have my own little piece. It's nice when readers can relate to what I write... thank you so much for commenting, buddy... cheers... Gary....

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20 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

I need to go wipe the sweat off now.  I loved the buildup to the relief of the forest.  I also like the "insects under Sherlock's glass"  line.  Nicely done.  :) 

Thanks, Val. This poem flowed out in minutes, and it feels like more is ready to issue forth... I'm pleased you liked it. That line was just there... I had jeweler's glass in mind but Sherlock showed up. :)  I appreciate the kind support, my friend... cheers... Gary.... 

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I could really feel the heat and then the cool of the forest.  I love the forest shade. I remember taking shelter in the woods during the hottest summer months when I was a kid. Thank you for this Gary :) 

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1 hour ago, LitLover said:

I could really feel the heat and then the cool of the forest.  I love the forest shade. I remember taking shelter in the woods during the hottest summer months when I was a kid. Thank you for this Gary :) 

And thank you for this, Lit. At the risk of repeating myself, it's so nice to have you back. :D  You are a blessing, not only to me, but to this site as well. The woods have always felt magical to me... maybe because growing up in New Brunswick, we were surrounded by woods... deep, mysterious, and comforting woods... my playground. They're filled with roots, mine among them. :)  On weeks like this that suck the energy out of living creatures, life seeks their protection, and we humans have been doing it since time began. Cheers... Gary...

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I love when you write about nature, because you always manage to make me feel it.. 

I know what that’s like, especially when we go hiking. Sometimes it’s downright chilly the deeper you go. I’m glad you found refuge in your forest.. 

Well done, Gary. 

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33 minutes ago, Defiance19 said:

I love when you write about nature, because you always manage to make me feel it.. 

I know what that’s like, especially when we go hiking. Sometimes it’s downright chilly the deeper you go. I’m glad you found refuge in your forest.. 

Well done, Gary. 

Thanks, Def. I always worry about being repetitive with my themes, but it all comes down to write what you know and feel and wonder about in poetry, in my humble opinion. So, I appreciate hearing you say this. I can survive anywhere... a city, a highrise, in suburbia... but I come alive in nature. I have never lost my awe of the trees, the birds, the sky, the tiniest flower, or the varying shades of greens and browns and reds and golds, blues.... so, I always come back to it. There are a lot of us like that, and I appreciate that you understand. Thanks for liking this... cheers... Gary....

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Why couldn't this have come out six months ago when I was freezing?  :)

I yearn for the forest which is part of my heritage--those dark brooding primeval German expanses...metro parks just don't cut it, at least not those here in Columbus.  Only one is close to a real forest, but it's a thirty minute car ride away!

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9 minutes ago, ColumbusGuy said:

Why couldn't this have come out six months ago when I was freezing?  :)

I yearn for the forest which is part of my heritage--those dark brooding primeval German expanses...metro parks just don't cut it, at least not those here in Columbus.  Only one is close to a real forest, but it's a thirty minute car ride away!

Six months ago I was writing about winter. :P  'Yearn' is a good word, buddy. I was already gassed, and depleted of all energy when I got the yearning for my forest, so instead of heading inside to cold water and blasting fans, I trudged out the back. I was really dragging my butt in the harsh sunlight, but it was worth it. I sat on a bench my kids made me years ago, and used my trusty exacto knife to carve a stick. Being in this much cooler, dark haven re-energized me. I wish you could experience that whenever you wanted to. My trees are astonishing... old and gigantic, but very healthy. It's good for the soul, my friend.  Thanks for your support, CG... cheers... G-Man.... xoxoxo

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We have much in common.  I miss my home in the forests of Mt Hood.  Hikes through the woods were always a way to renew my spirits no matter what season.  This is a wonderful poem that left me with refreshing memories recaptured in your words.

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7 hours ago, raven1 said:

We have much in common.  I miss my home in the forests of Mt Hood.  Hikes through the woods were always a way to renew my spirits no matter what season.  This is a wonderful poem that left me with refreshing memories recaptured in your words.

For me the woods are a respite for many things. They renew my spirit too, Terry. Glad you felt this one. We all should be as fortunate as me to have such a haven close to my back door. Cheers! :hug: 

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