Not one person was inside.
The clouds were braided into the sky,
their delicate wisps flowing out
towards the horizon.
Trees stood proud with their leaves, still green, shining,
rigidly facing the light,
catching every last bit of the summer sun.
Children buzzed around the pools and parks,
drawn like bees to a bluebell.
Lilacs bloomed brilliantly next a sidewalk,
at such a particular angle that
their soft, purple heads seemed to nod hello at anyone who walked past.
All the thermometers showed at least seventy degrees,
except for the rusty one hanging outside the school’s second grade window
which showed forty.
A lemonade stand was set up, in the control of five hopeful kids
giving cars that passed by their cutest smile,
rattling the metal cans that held their money and waving neon signs,
using the heat to their advantage.
And then that evening, that honey evening,
where the crickets quietly trilled to themselves
and the sun slowly melted across the sky.