Hurricane Season
August here in the south is so hot you can fry an egg on the hood of your car. The sun burns your shoulders while you hurry from the car to the store and are grateful for some cool air conditioning relief. The humidity is so high you sweat buckets.
It is the season for hurricanes so we are stocking up on bottled water, batteries and other necessary supplies to sustain us and keep us safe. In the event we find ourselves in the of path of a monster, we will have to ‘hunker down’ as is the language of the storm watchers. We are always thankful for the generator we purchased a few years ago and have not yet had to use, and we will worry once more about whether or not we should have invested in hurricane shutters. We will know by November’s end if we won that gamble or not.
The names of the storms become so familiar, creeping into our everyday conversations as if they are real people living with us. For years after we refer to them as if they were distant relatives who had come to stay for a while. They were either good houseguests or not depending on the damage left behind.
Those hot August nights Moisture still hangs in the air Fan works overtime Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Frank Tassone is hosting Monday Haibun at D'Verse Poets and has prompted us with writing a Haibun about August. Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay
I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it is waiting for a hurricane. I hope you stay safe.
Thank you! I will, and you stay safe too ☺️💕
Nicely told story. Stay safe, and be sure to give that generator a test run.
I will Ron. Thanks! ☺️
I can really imagine this, Christine – we are stocking up on water too – these days in Jerusalem are super hot, and this isn’t even the hottest place in the country by any stretch of the imagination.
Who names them? How big do they have to be to get named?
<3
David
Hi David, I understand the World Meteorological organization names all the storms. Stay cool and keep hydrating ☺️👍💕
Hoping you’re staying safe, Christine. Hurricane seasons are an absolute nightmare.
I know each year in FL, it feels like one after the next. My dad used to say, semi-jokingly, that he didn’t think Florida would be anything left in a few years because of how worse each hurricane gets. The climate every year shows something even more terrible than the last, to be honest. My friend in Florida was telling me how the road was all flooded (indirectly) from just a storm–it caused the pipes to break and wash out the entire road. Absolutely crazy.
Yes this is true. They say Miami will be under water within 10 years 😦
Love that last paragraph… it is so true! I didn’t realize until I read it. I was in Miami for Andrew. Before that hurricane I had all intentions of staying there. But I left, fled straight into the arms of Sandy up in NY. It was a luckier event in NY. A little flooding. In Florida we lost the roof with us in the house.. terrifying!! As I was reading your post that freight train sound came right back to me. Very well said Christine!
Pat
Oh my gosh Pat, how horrifying! 😦 That was the mother of all hurricanes. I was living in Texas at the time but remember it well. I remember my husband at the time went there right after it hit and was helping get the communications up and running. He said the destruction was staggering. Then you met Sandy 😳😦 Scary stuff for sure. See how we talk about them like they are people/relatives 🤣
LoL! Yep, some crazy relatives that make you wanna leave town when you know they’re coming!! 😀
Pat
Pat
That’s hilarious Pat. Yes, unwanted guests! ☺️🤣
I hope you stay safe and out of the way of any hurricanes.
Oh yes, for sure Sadje. The good thing is you get warnings way in advance, unlike tornadoes. If you act quickly you can get out of town long before the traffic jams begin 😳
Today is a good thing. Take care
Shis has been such an interesting challenge, as we learn what August means to others here in the poetic community. I don’t envy you your hurricane season!!
Yes, it can get a little scary at times 😦
You have summed up our hot Southern summer. It has been ‘cookin’ ” Great haibun!
Thanks Dwight, I appreciate that.☺️ Are you in the south too?
Yes, North Carolina!
Good one. Here, it’s drought & fires…
Paula, I feel bad for you out west. None of us can win with this climate crisis 😢
You offer a unique vantage point on August! The hurricanes you have survived sound intense, to say the least! You evoke the hot, humid reality of August in the south so vividly! Wonderful!
Thanks so much Frank. Yes it’s like we start speaking another language every summer. Everything seems so extreme these days with climate change. It is affecting all parts of the world in different ways 😢