Domestic Warming

Its been a 2-year summer;
despite the mounting heat
and fierce glare
that each day brings;
Everything seems to flourish
around his scorched plot.

The earth, instead of cracking;
has fused into pavement;
the surface of asphalt and sand
melting under the heat;
mirroring the fierce tropical sky

The picture he sees,
Amorsolo can't paint
his colors and brushstrokes
won't even approximate
this long summer's
harsh brightness

He stands in the shade
toiling and praying
like the rainmakers of old
that the monsoons
fulfill their promise
and come soon

Its been a long summer,
broken only
by the brief respite
that each tired night brings.
Yet even the moon ripples
in the heat of the pavement

He sees no end in sight
this harsh season
continues to burn;
the tides have been late
and low in their arrival;
The streams feeding
the plots of land
have all but dried up
leaving him wallowing
in the shade
waiting
for the rain.