Donald Harbour Poetry

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.” ~ Dodinsky

Beached whales

Posted on 28 June 2011 by Donald Harbour

Summer has arrived early
Its forging hammer slamming earthward
A furnace breath sears the living
Sucking the moisture from leaves
Everywhere the heat shimmers
Undulating ribbons of reflections
This parched ground is dormant
Its life tallow hardened
The grass has given up
Only some green tips show
The rest stunted straw men
The sun a white hot globe
It does not know mercy
Heating the barely breathable air
Living creatures suffer inhaling
Birds refuse to pierce the sky
The azure blue now a blistering lens
On the lake shore there are bodies
Beached and oiled human whales
They fry in the ultraviolet oven
Soaking up vitamin D morphing
Becoming desiccated melanoma vessels
Lobsters steaming in the lake water
Scorched blondes, tanned brunettes
Fat men and skinny pimpled teenage boys
No mercy, no mercy for any of them

6 thoughts on “Beached whales”

margo roby on 29 June 2011 at 11:37 AM said:

I love this! Again, you leave me with a smile, one of delight in where your poem starts and where it ends and all the in-between.

margo

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nan on 29 June 2011 at 11:48 AM said:

This one is so hot, it burns. Nicely written!

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wordsandthoughtspjs on 29 June 2011 at 11:59 AM said:

Wow, Donald. That is quite a description of sunbathing. Excellent observation piece. Love the title.

Pamela

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wayne on 29 June 2011 at 5:04 PM said:

you took me to my favorite beach in Cuba….nice one Donald

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brenda w on 29 June 2011 at 5:31 PM said:

All those bathers striving to be anything but white. It’s odd, isn’t it? We even have spray on tans to change our color. Weird. Strong writing, Donald. I love this piece from start to finish.

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irene on 29 June 2011 at 10:35 PM said:

Oh dear, no mercy. Human beach whales huh? Nobody in the right mind should go suntanning.

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