We’ve been experiencing a heat wave here in Vancouver, which has left everyone in my house (people, dog and cats) lying around sweating (or panting), unable to move or think. Today, the temperature has dropped just enough to give us a bit of a reprieve and allow me to stay for more than a few minutes in my sauna of an office as well as muster up enough energy to record some of the haiku that emerged out of the heat.
First, here’s one I wrote back in early June:
early summer heat
unwelcome guest in our house
the dog pants all night
And during this week’s heat:
so many windows
open in the summer heat
spilling people’s lives
empty yellow grass
splashed by blue-winged Steller’s jay
beak full of peanut
heavy summer heat
no breeze through open windows
the night train’s whistle
fat slice of orange moon
behind smog and forest fire smoke
terrible beauty
And here’s the surrealistically orange sunset from the night the heat wave started:

Tags: heat wave, summer haiku, Vancouver
August 1, 2009 at 2:04 am |
what a wonderful sunset photo….
its been rain that has defined July for us here, rather than heat….
August 5, 2009 at 4:36 pm |
company coming
stirring people here and there
making summer fun.
August 5, 2009 at 4:37 pm |
I really enjoyed your haikus – appropriate for the summer heat and what the season brings.
August 5, 2009 at 9:15 pm |
Thanks for the comments! It’s a relief to be over our heat wave, but I wouldn’t have wanted a summer of rain, either. This is actually the first time in many years that it hasn’t rained during my husband’s summer holiday (he’s not complaining!)
August 6, 2009 at 11:49 am |
Here’s my heatwave haiku:
Sullen sticky heat
Fans monotonously hum
But bring no relief
August 6, 2009 at 12:01 pm |
Stunted arid lawns
Arbutus leaves curl and drop
Birdbath is empty
August 6, 2009 at 12:48 pm |
Hi Lesley! I especially like the second haiku. Makes me feel parched just reading it.
August 6, 2009 at 3:48 pm |
haha! me too! thanks!
August 7, 2009 at 4:17 pm |
I feel compelled to comment on how much the temperature has changed since last week: a drop of 16 degrees! Feels like Goldilocks weather (too hot, too cold). What happened to “Just right”?