Poetry Place Collected Poems

Summer TIme Blues

{font: times}

Summer Time blues

Summertime Blues
In Korea hot and humid
Tropical nights
Monsoon monster storms
Massive flooding mudslides

In the West Coast
Wild fires burning
Death valley temperatures

In the east
Dreaded heat dome
Killing heat
Climate change
World out of whack
End-of-the-world feeling

As oil companies
Continue to rape mother earth
Making obscene profits
As hired politicians
Do their master’s bidding

But in the end
The summer will end
Cooler weather will come
Monster storms will abate

Until the winter
When the polar vortex
Freezes the world


“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
~ Mark Twain


In addition to the precise literal definition found in dictionaries, many words are imbued with shades of emotional interpretation, based on historic or cultural associations. For example, Hollywood and Sacramento are both cities in California, but Hollywood often is used to represent the glitz, glamor, celebrity, and dreams of stardom in the movie industry. "House" and "home" are both defined as "a dwelling place," but "home" carries an additional emotional connection to a sense of comfort, love and family. "Residence," "abode," "apartment," and "lodging" are other words which have basically the same literal application, but have varying implications.

Because of usage over time, words with approximately the same definition may acquire additional meanings that are either positive or negative. We may refer to someone who uses drugs as a "substance abuser," "addict," or "junky," reflecting different levels of sympathy. The various feelings, images, and memories that are evoked by a word become its connotation.

The relationship between words and meanings can be complicated and is continually shifting, depending on who is speaking or listening. Since specific words spark specific emotional reactions, poets often use these connotations to achieve a desired effect, as in



STATIC Solar Energy (E)
in a Mirrored Cinquain
#2291525 by Dave (939)