Summer. Heat
takes the water
from our mouths,
and gives us thirst.
We use cedar bark
for hats and baskets.
Moon of the ripening-
all things must swell
and burst, or else
they dry and shrivel.
There is no choice
when sun bakes soil.
Cracks trace patterns
in dirt. Whether we gaze
straight ahead, up,
or down we see only
yellow.