Slow Heat

Slow Heat
by John Trent

Slow,
Each step
Smoldering asphalt
With wavering heat
Under a humid Georgia sun

A sporadic song
From a unseen wren
Yet, the silence,
Of heat,
Overtakes each step

Slow,
And deliberate,
Heavy and oppressive
The smell of tar
Permeates the air

In the distance
Hanging,
A sleeping grey oak
A moment’s respite
From the scorching sun

And another,
Slow step
In front of the next
The slow heat
From a southern summer day