Hotter Than Hades

Posted byChristine BoltonPosted inBlog, LifeTags:, , , , , ,

Hotter Than Hades

That summer when I was seven was hotter than Hades
The earth dry and cracked like a moon crater
I remember Grandma sitting on her porch
Snipping the green beans into her apron
Wiping the sweat from her eyes
with the damp cloth permanently wrapped around her neck
We spent most days down in the swimming hole
Swinging from the tree and jumping in the water
or floating in tire tubes just to stay cool
When the sun went down we'd catch fireflies in jars
and watch the June bugs spinning on their backs
by the kitchen door
The days passed slower than molasses
Daddy used to say it was hotter than a stolen tamale
I remember the swarm of grasshoppers that came
They were bigger than Texas.  Billy said they were locusts
They ate momma’s sunflowers,
making her madder than a hornet
There were so many in the air they would land on your legs
while you were riding your bike
Grown-ups were bad-tempered and us kids stayed well away
It seemed as if it was never going to rain
Until that day when big fat drops spotted the pavement 
Like the polka dots on my Sunday best dress
It was a Saturday
Finally, the heavens opened
and the rain came down in buckets
We danced in the street until we were soaked to the skin
and Grandma chased us in with her broom
The next day we all went to church to give thanks 
 
 
Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing
All Rights Reserved

Grace is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and she has
prompted us to write a poem incorporating setting (specific or descriptive) in our blog.

Word Prompt

Swim - FOWC

Photo by Tengyart on Unsplash

Published by Christine Bolton

I have been writing poetry since I was a child and it has helped in the good times and bad times. I am always looking within to find the answers to life's problems and to write thought-provoking poetry and prose. Thanks for checking it out. Christine

40 thoughts on “Hotter Than Hades”

  1. Whew, hot summer heat and I can feel the humidity and sweat dripping, until the rain finally came down. How terrifying it must have been to see that swarm of locusts. I like enjoyed this poem – like a page from your diary. Thanks for joining in.

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  4. Wonderful descriptions, Christine, building up the tension until the polka-dotted drops of rain came. I think you could build a book around this place, it’s magical.

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    1. Thanks Lisa. It is mostly fiction although there are some personal things I could draw from. The Texas heat and drought one year and the locusts! I always enjoy trying to paint a picture. ☺️

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  6. This is a wonderful poem Christine! I love the great images of the cracked ground, the grasshoppers, and the big raindrops! I can see your Grandma snapping beans… so good!
    dwight

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  11. You took me back to another time and place in your poem, Christine. I could feel the heat and picture the ‘earth dry and cracked like a moon crater’, even while glancing out of the window at our snow-covered garden. I love the swimming hole and the fireflies in jars, and that wonderful phrase ‘The days passed slower than molasses’, and felt the relief when ‘big fat drops spotted the pavement / Like the polka dots on my Sunday best dress’.

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    1. Thanks Kim. I drew from a poem I wrote a while ago and reworked it into narrative poetry. I’m so happy it worked. I appreciate your lovely feedback ☺️

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    2. I have returned as threatened— Poetry is the statement of power that sets the soul free, to be, exactly who you are — and in being just that, to introduce your truth to the world!..

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  13. This is such beautiful, evocative writing:
    ‘The days passed slower than molasses’ – this made my think of Scout’s voice in To Kill a Mockingbird. I love it!

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    1. Thanks Ingrid. The southern US is full of colorful descriptive language and it is something I enjoy playing with. ☺️

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  14. Oh, yeah; you nailed this one. We might have been neighbors, given your description. The Grown-ups always made us stay outside ‘until the streetlights come on.” Great stuff.

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    1. Thanks Ron. I loved this prompt as it allowed me to do something different. ☺️. I grew up in London and we were allowed to stay out until dark too 👍

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  15. Evocative of time and place and memories so tangible they live on in the present. You took us right there with you into the rain, dancing, giving thanks!

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  17. I have never experienced any heat like this… it seemed like a happy memory, but I can understand the burden it must have been for the grown-ups… happy for the rain in the end.

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