The coffee leaves hang on the trees like dry dish rags. Plumeria trees are empty skeletons in the tropical brush, enveloped by drooping palms and frowning, faded ferns. Red hibiscus are shriveled excuses of their former beauty. Utility poles stand straight and brown and bare, blending perfectly with their surroundings. Dry leaves that litter the ground are pulverized into dusty dirt. Mac nuts are dark brown marbles on the hard earth. A few trees stay green, their succulent leaves sturdy and strong while neighbors sag, pink flowers wilted.
The hedges that separate the houses are usually barriers, curtains that hide us from one another. They are now threadbare, transparent, revealing. We see each other as the water rations itself. Reminding us that we are all right there next to each other, all in this together.
©2010 Therese L. Miner
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Terrific!
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