Drought

Sometimes I imagine that I live next to an unkempt garden —

Full of dull, brown dragonflies hovering among the weeds

The tall grass and unruly bushes wilting in an unnatural autumn heat

A grey, stuffy sky bent on snuffing out their breaths;

And it never rains.

I sit by the window, with a heart sinking to the stomach for no fathomable reason

Looking out at the lush green football field where children in bright colour shirts run about without a care in the world

Or jump in muddy puddles amidst a soft afternoon drizzle;

And I imagine that I live next to an unkempt garden that is dying of thirst

Because it never rains.