the red dawn

July 17 - July 22 Week 18/72

I am buoyed by the beauty

of a small milkweed bug

perched on the center of a daisy

disc flowers marching like soldiers

in spiral formations beneath it

as I sink into a bed of soft clover

taking a break from the heavy air

that is caught in my throat and wrapped

around every limb adding weight to even

the smallest movements since the red dawn

my fingers move down through the clover

seeking cool soil like eager earthworms

only to be greeted by powdery dryness

and heat that seems to be escaping

from the center of the Earth