Ella Mae
Torrid summer
I tread the rubble road of home,
perhaps like a fawn in playful dance—
or so I wish.
The sun, relentless, blazes down,
my hair hot enough to warm
a hundred wealthy pools.
One bare foot before the next,
over, over, over again,
I place my weight within my shadow,
hoping each time it cools
more than the last.
But any woman who has walked this road
knows the fleeting shade
does nothing to temper the heat,
a brief reprieve swallowed
by the burn beneath.
Bio
Ella Mae is a young poet and Bay Area wanderer who documents her life like it's a field guide to feeling too much. Her poems tend to spill, shimmer, or refuse to behave. Sometimes they sink. She believes in long walks with no destination, talking to trees, and telling the truth sideways.