There, before a clearing, I saw them standing there.
The first - he had no brain. The second - he had no hair.
It was then I realized, hatless, 'neith the sun,
that the two of them were really one.
Like summer air, the heat will rise
Your color meets my sunburnt eyes
The water rushed against my thighs
You cover me
it wasn't a pretty sight
extreme sun exposure
turned his skin a vibrant hue
somewhere on the spectrum
not quite painful blue
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
This summer has been much hotter than most
About the tan I got, I dare not boast
My body is quite a sight
Because my back side is white
But from the front view, I look like burnt toast
red orange ball of fire
rolling up down green tar hill
skin cancer is real
sun smirks down at us
laughing as sweat rolls off head
his goal is sunburn
The sun's flames lick my back and burn the outer crust; warm my hidden bones.
I see the orange glow behind closed eyes, as the rays fall across my face and
dance up and down my body.
I want to lie naked, and spread eagled, so it can trickle between my legs and brown me inside and out.
The sun is my lover, his passions burn like fire.
Slipping slowly across the sky,
Summer sun in hot sizzling bliss
Permits no hasty alibi,
Neither offers a gentle kiss,
While ample creams will justify
Protective lotions we dismiss,
So, lest we blister, we must care,
Protective shirts and sunscreen wear.
written May 28, 2021
The day, I felt the heat upon,
After I saw the morning gone.
I knew the time was coming soon,
Only a little after noon.
So there I stayed and waited so.
My feet had not a place to go.
It will be soon, I made a vow,
Only a little time from now.
Hours passed and hours spent,
I stayed and watched the day’s descent.
Needing to wait a little more,
Only a little after four.
It never came, no, not today,
For I must wait another day.
As this one comes to a close,
We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
Sunburn
They muted us with
a poisonous smile
and political power.
Then they beheaded
our hills, massacred
trees, buried ponds…
We mistook their new
concrete buildings
for development.
They sit in the chill
of a/c rooms with
prostitutes. Venom
from their deeds’
fangs affects the
earth’s organs.
Climate malfunctions.
Embryo of rain dies
in the womb of cloud.
Sand suffers from
dehydration. These
red wild blossoms
are nature’s fury,
burning bright on
the branches. This
isn’t sunlight, but a
pyre. Life’s wings
are being burnt.
Butterflies don’t
decorate plants.
Flowers are like
breasts of silent
starving women.
Even a tough crow
doesn’t dare to fly.
A poor peasant
falls down, thrust
with sun’s arrows,
in his field of parched
dreams. Sunburn is
our annihilation’s
developmental stage.
SUNBURN
Sunkisses strike leaving red lipstick marks,
Ubiquitous blush from head to toe.
Nabalm bites raw like tiger sharks,
Blazing with emotional undertow.
Umbrellas arrive with rainbow arcs,
Reinforcement relief with balm and bows.
Naproxen, to bed, air conditioning works!
Kim Rodrigues (c) 2016
the spark is still between us.
electricity, he always comes with lightning.
he knows i can't resist a storm.
july is ending, again.
sunburnt, peeling in my bed.
last month's dead cells
sticking to the wall
above the spot i got too mad.
lauging with kings,
you bought me a drink
and i haven't seen you so happy in a while.
my god, it's been a while
since the conversation failed to end.
even the bits of frustration
felt gentler. although,
i still apologize.
kisses running up your spine,
how i wish you were all mine.
you told me you couldn't tell
if i was dead or alive.
kept asking if i was
losing my mind.
told me i needed to eat.
you didn't get angry with me. not once.
not one single time
did you lose your temper
trying to understand mine.
we got our picture taken at the bar
and you put your arm around me.
all night long, you had your hands
all over me.
you wrapped your night around me,
and made me feel higher than god.
i almost called you baby,
but not even i am that daft.
no one makes me feel like way,
and i wanted to tell you
i'm losing my mind
from all the things i do not say.
Love is like sunburn; hot to the touch, yet painful in its afterglow...
The sun was hot, dear Jack did burn
He fell asleep and forgot to turn
His cheeks do hurt
He wears a skirt
The fellas asking him out is his only concern
~Without suntan lotion~
The balloon man silently left the park
Where are all the jump rope kids?
The hopscotch sidewalk is slowly fading
The children are covered in sweat
I see dried pecan trees, everyone fights for the fountain turn
Where are all the pretty flowers, why do the swings sit alone?
Why must it hurt -the sun -the burn -the tan,
Must it be summer all over again?
-X-
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