Read a poem by another poet written
on the same day:

with slow moon dividing
   the night
the month leaps in fits and
   sprinkles:
   heat, extraordinary, keeps us indoors
there's little to do, and even making
   love all day
   like in the myths
   is not an option.
Cicadas, still heat, cactus silence
   only the desert could produce,
once we stopped at a small
waterfall where one could slide down
   the smooth rock
into a pool of cool water
i lost my glasses and had
   to fish around for them
   before the next slider came.
the superheated earth and smell of sage—
the way to conquer the heat
   was often to delve into the midst.
The Havasu Indians
   deep inside the Grand Canyon
   marked by short tunnels left by
   mining explorers that go nowhere
still make their own frybread
from ingredients packed down
   by mules.
the skinny older kid introduced
us to Dungeons and Dragons
   but we had no taste for it.
complicated was an awful thing
   to be.

here in the city, sirens incessantly
   since early morning.
it has been reputed that
   the greater number of crimes
   occur at 92 Fahrenheit.
the statistics taper off when
the temperature moves up or down,
so in the morning when
   air begins to glow i pray
      for heat.