Summer Of '88 Poem by Bill Upton

It was the summer that would not melt
With no relief from 100 degrees.
Lakes became sanctuaries
And Dairy Queens turned into necessary oases.
Not before and not since has the sun spoken so clearly,
Imposing a will and an opportunity,
Determining in advance a destiny.
Not deterred, they began their friendship
In the midst of this unusual desert climate.
They walked hand in sweaty hand to the water.
They talked and laughed and introduced themselves
To themselves
And had picnics in spots normally reserved for deer.
Through inspirational, perspirational, eye-opening afternoons,
They learned each others' hearts.
In untraditional meetings of Mother Nature and humanity,
They understood from deliberate glances
That this was not just another summer.
It had method within the madness.
There was warmth within the heat.

That was us who met that summer,
And, in so many ways,
It has remained in my mind-
A memory that never really left,
Innocently burning now.
It was the summer of them all.
It was the summer that could not melt.