The air shimmered, a wavering mirage,
Heatwaves rippling through the afternoon,
A furnace blast, relentless and fierce.
Shadows retreating, thin as whispers,
Concrete burning underfoot,
Even the cicadas silenced, stunned by the blaze.
Mirrors of light, cruel and blinding,
Sky a bleached canvas, stark and hollow,
Leaves curling, thirsting, brittle to touch.
Breath searing, every inhalation a shock,
Sweat beads forming, reluctant to cool,
The sun an unyielding overlord, unsparing in its gaze.
Silent streets, deserted, still,
Nature hiding, subdued by the glare,
This unexpected inferno, a summer’s merciless grip.
Poetic Alchemist 