Tap Dancing on the Roof

With winter about to hit here in Australia, and with Canberra about to rug up and turn the heaters on high regardless of the exorbitant charges of the utilities companies, I thought it might be nice to relive the outbreak of summer. Then I think I might move to a warmer climate, at least for the winter.


Tap Dancing on the Roof


The sounds of summer
hit the country out west
with the painted mountains
blue in the background
summer brings with it the beating sun
we crave so much, and yet hide from
as we watch each dance of nature
and listen to its every sound

The steamy heat torches the village
a hundred tin roofs crackle
restless dogs howl
in the middle of the night
we lay on top of sheets
wearing nothing but sweat,
thinking of the beauty
held in every summer sight

The sun rises early
the birds squawk and squeal
and cockatoos screech
as they pull bark from huge trees
that creak and threaten
to send mammoth branches
crashing to the ground
like elephants to their knees

Smaller feathered friends
twitter and tap dance
across a flat tin roof
that has seen better days
waking all who sleep below
to a brand new dawn
surrounded on all sides
by that familiar summer haze

Lawn mowers roar to life
breaking nature’s tranquility
whipper snippers chime in
to sing the chorus
sprinklers and hand held hoses
shower the garden before the heat arrives
and while the ground remains
at least a little porous

Backyard swimming pools
spring to a childish life
in areas left with enough water
to keep them viable
and the cricket commentary
fills the airwaves and the kitchens
as cold drinks of all sorts and strengths
keep us cool and pliable

The heat in the middle of the day
sees an eerie quiet descend
While nature takes a well earned break
hidden from the unrelenting sun
then evening comes
without taking away the light
just turning it pink
until once more the day is done


© Bernard J Rossi