August Sun

(Jeremiah 8:20)

Charles G. Dennison
 

The fire perceived
not the fire seen
burns low
wedged by clouds,
a simple sliver removed;
not the heat
nor filmy air—
smothering us—
sweating, waiting
for the moon and stars.

Lightning precedes thunder
and deceives the eye
even when the sky is clear;
grays brighten
to currents arching over us,
but we despair
of rain, relief
and our salvation.

(8/25/85)