Tonight's Poet Corner: Indian Summer

Indian Summer
by Belinda Roddie

The heat is draining me. It pulls
the fog out of my pores, turns it into
clouds hovering over my head. I am wrung
out like the damp bandana on a pedestrian's
brow, as she carries her boa constrictor
like an unwelcome scarf across her shoulders.

I walk into the bookstore, where it's
air-conditioned, and order something
lukewarm from the café. My body wants
to rebel, but I don't let it. Outside,
the light throbs against the windows.
The glass glows like the pulse
of angels. Their wings beat
against an oppressive blue sky.