uncomfortably warm

brushing forty

a merciless sun

taunts us to bare flesh

even gaudy sunflowers

cringe and bow heavily

blackened faces,

a white dog frolics in

the ancient lavoir,

barking its joy in

unbridled appreciation,

makeshift sunscreens

strung here and there

for feeble shade give

the village a Bedouin feel,

as three nuns tumble from

the bakery ecstatically

cradling croissants as if

having won prizes

their habits must feel

like saunas

 

© Graham R Sherwood 08/25