the heat
is so oppressive
it’s like after
you get fresh ink
and they wrap up
the area with clingwrap
but full body
a sheen of sweat
immediately forms
as the still air
draws every last
drop of moisture
to the surface

minutes turn
into excursions into
a lake of fire
the sheer cerulean
stretches into infinity
drawing down the wrath
of solar radiation

people popping
water balloons pushed
to the boiling point
but fortunately
global warming is
nothing but a liberal myth
as el nino rages across
the pacific ocean