90 DEGREES HEAT 90 PERCENT HUMIDITY: CARLOS HIRALDO Carlos Hiraldo was born and raised in New York City.  He is a Professor of English Literature at the City University of New York.  His book Segregated Miscegenation was published by Routledge in 2003.  His poems have appeared in "Other Poetry," "Fire" and "The View from Here." He currently lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife and son. Next Poem:....................................................................................................................................... Back to Poetry Index

 
Mortality stands outside my window,

stares in,

and rattles the cage

of my energy efficient air conditioner.

 

 

Summer is a time for innocence.  Up north,

we still look forward to summer like happy children and jaded school teachers.

 

 

Summer is a time for Neanderthal man,

a time for the time before

Homosapien

discovered fire

and death.

 

 

If you are callous with credit and time

there are two week flights to Europe,

long waits on airport lines

and leisurely afternoons in overpriced cafes.

 

 

In Amsterdam,

you can smoke away second thoughts about the exchange rate

and the work e-mail you wish unattended.

 

 

There are also

Paris and London

and postcards that prove you were really there,

so you have something to respond to when asked

 

 

“What did you do this summer?”

as something else tells you,

The light of day shows us we have nothing to do.

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