Margaret A. Trapnell

I hunt for relief;
a sweat-inducing day
when t-shirts stick and shorts ride up.
Tattered sandals stick on summer´s asphalt,
car fumes hang in the dead muggy air.
On the corner, respite;
a trendy cafe, extending an invitation to sit,
to regroup, to stop, to savor
a frozen piece of tropical sunshine.
Crushed ice flavor, syrupy thickness
fighting its way up the straw,
overwhelming my taste buds
with a sweet-tart mango infusion.
I close my eyes savoring this soothing refreshment,
and disappear.