Heat Haze
I want salt’s tenderness and the taste
of your flesh on my tongue. The softness
of peaches in summer when the days
are too long. I want oregano and lemons.
The sweet bitterness of tonic and lime
pulling the summer heat out of my skin.
I want the musk of sun-warmed blackberries
eaten while standing by the side of the road.
I want the cool richness of the cream
we spill over the crumble we make
with the berries that we do not eat
there in the August shimmer.
Published on The Laundry Line, 27 January, 2026.
