August in the South

I know there are a lot of other places way hotter than here, but I've never experienced such a heat as I have in southern Georgia. It's different from anywhere I've ever lived before. Lately, it's been raining quite a bit, so it's moist, very humid and stifling hot. It just feels very, very strange to me and my body does not react favorably to this climate as is evidenced by my recent diagnosis of RAD (Reactive Airways Disease.) I can't seem to find enough oxygen to breathe in this heat. The ironic part is that for a cold-weather-gal, I sure manage to end up living in hot places. Here are my thoughts about August in Georgia:

AUGUST

Suppressing heat - still - silence
Except for the Cicadas
Step outside and choke
On the heat and odor of musk and mold
Heat’s got me by the throat
Stifling my breathing
Making me cough
Weighing heavy, pressing hard
I'm so tired before I even start

Nothing is thriving, but merely surviving
Hanging on, waiting, hoping to endure
The cruelest of months in the South
Survival of the fittest
Scavenging insects circling low to the ground
Wasps - yellow flies
Looking for remnants of discarded food

August heat - lingering - lasting
Every living thing
Is barely hanging in
Or hiding out - waiting for relief

Dying cricket twitching on the sidewalk
Old age? Poison? Heat stroke?
Walk on by - go inside with your dog
Into the air conditioning and ride it out
Living your life from the inside out

Waiting for August heat to subside
It's a slow and agonizing ride