the sun scorches our hot backs
it’s not a pleasant sort of tingle,
prickle or sensation
it’s of feeling like your skin is on fire
so unreasonably hot
like being baked in an oven
unable to get out
we trudge through the streets
shoes getting stuck in the melting,
sticky, tar of the road
there is sweat leaking
through our clothes
It cascades in salty puddles
on the parched sidewalk
when it seems like the heat
is too much to bare
that we will curl up on the grass
and drown in the searing light
of the sun
a gentle jingle erupts in the sultry air
the sound of the ice cream truck
of cool, frosty treats
of air conditioning whistling through our hair
of pure, delicious, goodness dribbling down our chins
we charge towards the familiar sound
and fumble through our pockets for coins
like our lives depend on it
the ice cream man
gives us a cheery smile
and presents us with
ice cream and popsicles in
all different colors
we lick our icy treats
greedily gulping down the arctic slush
before we know it
it’s all gone
and all that is left
is a full belly
and a sense of relief on
this
sweltering
summer
day