Rain is both threatened and promised
respite from this relentlessly heavy heat
The air itself is thick and close
mixed with smoke rising from still-smouldering wildfires
the plumes suspended flatly in the valleys
The mountains behind seem to have been painted in
unfinished, a soft dove-grey wash, to be inked in later
Only the trees in the foreground sharp
the palms preferred perching places for parrots
vibrant, verdant and vocal
The concrete walls and wooden fences
favoured by the ubiquitous house sparrow
dowdy and common by comparison
The air is thickly still
but far from quiet
The incessant bass rumble of passing traffic
percussive barking of the neighbourhood dogs
and melodious fluting, constant chirruping and
raucous calls of innumerable small birds
provide an accompaniment for the
big white cockerel who is
slowly finding his voice
now that the previous incumbent
has been dispatched
The oppressive heat still hangs in the air
and I long for the breeze to bring the rain
both threatened and promised
This post was originally published on the 20th of September 2020 and has been transferred from my previous blog (Brazil from the outside in hosted by Blogger) after some technical difficulties with the site.
Brazil from the outside in 