July by Amber Shields Outside I look through a pair of dark sunglasses at the sun behind a stormy cumulonimbus. The edges of the cloud are tinted rust. When I take off my shades, I have to look away. The oval-shaped shadow steals over me, And a child begins to cry down the street. I turn just in time to see the cherry-red balloon disappear behind the neighbor's roof. The child's father takes off after it on a bike, but returns empty-handed. I walk inside and feel the shiver of white AC on my freshly tanned skin, cooling like lake water at midnight. That night I stand outside slapping away mosquitoes. The air is muggy even after dark. Channel 5 says it will only cool off if it rains tonight Channel 11 says no rain for the next three weeks, and urges us to follow the watering ban. © 2002 by Amber Shields. All rights reserved. Home