2010 Poem

SOUTHERN LIVING

by David Radavich

The sun down here
is deep, and soul-wide.

Hiding is hard
but everyone tries—

big tales, small lies,
sunscreen, patio screen,
ballcap or parasol,

simply idling
with sweet tea once
the heat
gets so high

it kicks off socks
on its own.

You have to put down
deep, deep roots
in this soil

where old water
draws back

and memory
and pain are blended
cocoa and cream.

The oaktree knows
what has hung
in these branches,

how peckers sing
of nests and flying,

returning home
to roots,

what cools off
this burning heart.

Published in Red Dirt Review (2011); rpt. The Countries We Live In (2014).