Image via Wikipedia
The Drought Poems
Last year (2010), in the part of Texas where I live, we had good rains until
July. Suddenly, it was as if a faucet had been turned off. The skies dried up.
Since then, we’ve had about 1/3 of our normal rainfall. Records have been
kept for 116 years and this current Texas drought has been declared the worst
already. Even though we’ve had rains the past four weeks of late September
and early October (1/2 inch, 1/2 inch, 8/10 inch, and 1 inch), that doesn’t
come close to calling the drought over. It didn’t rain this past week, either.
As I’ve published poems here on WordPress, it has occurred to me that I
need to organize some by topics. I’ve decided to do that in this post with my
drought poems, by having one post that links to all the ones I’ve posted
already. In addition, I’ve written 8 more that I haven’t published yet. One will
be published next Fourth of July about this past Fourth of July. And, I’m
currently working on yet another.
I’ve listed the poems in order from the first published to the one that is most
current. I’ve also posted a line or two of each poem except the haiku. My
faithful readers (thanks to all of you!) can then decide if they want to read the
poem or not, based upon their recollection of it, when they became a
subscriber, and whatever else may be influencing them at the moment.
All of them were inspired, in part or the whole, by the drought. The poem
about the smell of the rain (There’s Nothing As Sweet) isn’t about dryness and
drought but came because I was thinking of rain because of the drought. The
horrible wildfire in Bastrop (September Snow) occurred because of drought
conditions, as have many other Texas wildfires.
I hope you get to read and perhaps enjoy some you may have missed or choose to reread one you read and enjoyed before.
Dennis Lange, the bard on the hill
Points of View
It seems our godless land is cursed
By drought; my yard cries out in thirst….
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/points-of-view-by-dennis-lange/
Peace Negotiations (haiku) https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/three-weather-haiku-by-dennis-lange/
Refuge (haiku) https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/two-nature-haiku-by-dennis-lange/
Small Blessings
Day by day in this hot drought…
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/small-blessings-by-dennis-lange/
Near Miss
Like white balloons, the best surprise –
Clouds! Clouds today in our dry skies!…
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/near-miss-by-dennis-lange/
September Snow
In Bastrop, Texas, where the Lost Pines grow –
Strays, stragglers, orphaned by none that we know…
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/september-snow-by-dennis-lange/
There’s Nothing As Sweet
There’s nothing as sweet as the smell of the rain
To farmers who live on the dry dusty plain….
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/theres-nothing-as-sweet-by-dennis-lange/
September Front
The first cold front (like Christmas comes)
Arrives with greatest flair…
https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/september-front-by-dennis-lange/
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Photo is by Tomas Castelazo by way of Wikipedia. The picture is NOT of Texas, though conditions exactly like that can be found in Texas. I just don’t have one of those pictures.
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© Dennis Lange and thebardonthehill.wordpress.com, 2011.
The Bard on the Hill 
A good idea to organize by topics.
‘Like’ the poems, NOT the drought!! I was over the moon about our night of rain here in Denton recently.
I’m guessing that was the night the Rangers game kept being postponed because of rain. Much of the state got good rains that day and the next.
Good guess! I’m in Washington at the moment but my husband tells me tonight brought another welcome slaking. Obviously the delay didn’t hurt the Rangers much!
Yes, I saw last night’s rain on radar. Since I now know someone in Denton, I glanced a little north of DFW to see if Denton was getting some rain. 🙂
what part of texas are you from? i was raised there! i haven’t been back in a few years. i hear it’s an awful bad drought though, so i guess it’s the right time to be away. but i miss it horribly. Are you from the central part, by any chance?
Yes, “central” – I live in Kerrville (from Ballinger originally). The header of my blog is my view of the hill country from my deck. Yes, we’ve had a terrible drought for more than a year, with severe conditions over almost all of Texas. We’ve had enough rain since September to help the vegetation but the rivers, lakes, wells, and aquifer are in need of heavy rains to replenish them.
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