No air conditioning in my grand parents' house,
Texas heat blew through open windows
along with cicada chorus and roar of trains.
Don't think my hair got dry all summer.
We pushed beds sideways into windows,
lay on top of damp sheets to catch breeze.
Luckiest slept on screened-in porch
over green garden, after singing stopped
and we put away dominoes, kissed goodnight.
Best nights flashes of fire flies, shooting stars
fell into bright dreams that lasted until dawn.
Yes, I remember those summer nights sleeping in an upstairs room with no air-conditioning too. Windows open. We did have a floor fan which helped a little, but at least kept the air circulating. Damp sheets for sure, but still perspiring all night. With windows open I could hear so much neighborhood activity, something people don't experience today with windows closed and air-conditioners!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful memories your poem evoked, Victoria. Brought me back to the hot summer days in my grandparents' screened "summerhouse" in their back yard, playing Monopoly with my brothers and staying cool there in the night.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bright flicker of memory there on the porch. It sounds like a dream sequence but I know it happened for you and I'm so happy for that. Sometimes I have thought I'd like to steal memories and put them in my own brain. When I read things like this I can almost do that. Beautiful childhood days.
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