The Sun Holds Its Breath

the air wraps itself  

around us like heavy wool  

and the earth cracks open  

begging for a drop of mercy  

Dana stands in her boots  

beneath a sky that aches  

yet refuses to cry  

her hands full of kindness  

big fans hum louder  

than the cicadas’ hot song  

and small pools mirror the sun  

while the animals linger near  

the goats shake the heat off  

with each slow step of defiance  

the chickens hide under shade  

but dream of cooler days  

pigs press their bellies into mud  

their eyes half-closed in relief  

while Dana moves between them all  

a caretaker in the furnace of summer  

the heat beats relentlessly  

but her love rises stronger  

cradling the barnyard’s pulse  

one fan, one pool, one touch at a time