Humidity 105
(inspired by a record by “Disraeli,” an obscure Pacific
Northwest pop band of the late 1960’s)
Bob Rashkow
Encircling, then surrounding
This ring of intense force
Embraces my shoulder blade
Acutely burning.
Boys I once I looked up to
are fighting in a distant land.
One of them just died,
it says on page 14 of the newspaper in front of me.
Listed as a hero in black and white
But the gray has gone AWOL
Yellow and orange are alive, too,
Merrily exploding in blinding flashes,
Finding my forehead, grazing my chest,
displaying colorful chaos.
Moving inside, lazy for ice water,
I toss the hateful paper into the trash,
Oblivious to my mother’s protests
Immerse in freezing
Numbness.