"Liquid Sky" & "Only a Few Drops Left" by Ann Christine Tabaka

Liquid Sky

Searing heat rises in agonizing waves,

eating away at sanity.

Rippled air drips down,

choking out all breath.

Refracted images dance

across parched land.

Summer an inferno,

swallowing fragile lives.

Deniers will deny!

Grass … brown … scorched & curled.

Wilting flora cries out begging for rain.

Birds refuse to fly.

Countries burn

Hearts stop

People die

The old folk tell of past canicules,

but none this tortuous.

A fevered sky stretches on

with no relief in sight.

Memories of balmy days waft in and out,

as mercury soars.

A liquid sky melts down

upon a barren earth.

Only a Few Drops Left

only a few drops left no more exists

I have drained it dry

the bottle sits empty on its side

on the counter – a silent corpse

waiting for retribution – I shall not succumb

it laughs I hear it I flee

the wind outside unceasing in its quest – mercilessly

it calls to me come follow I heed

outside the darkness drinks me in as I wander lost

and lonely

I have imbibed one too many times – there is no escape

falling into a hell of my own making

time collapses inward

I reach for the glass savoring the dregs of remorse

all is lost

emptiness rings out in a loud cry

no more drops left

Ann Christine Tabaka was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry. She is the winner of Spillwords Press 2020 Publication of the Year, her bio is featured in the “Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2020 and 2021,” published by Sweetycat Press. She is the author of 15 poetry books, and 1 short story book. She lives in Delaware, USA. She loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and four cats. Her most recent credits are: Eclipse Lit, Carolina Muse, Sparks of Calliope; The Closed Eye Open, North Dakota Quarterly, Tangled Locks Journal, Wild Roof Journal, The American Writers Review, Burningword Literary Journal, Muddy River Poetry Review, The Silver Blade, Pomona Valley Review, West Texas Literary Review, The Hungry Chimera, Sheila-Na-Gig, Fourth & Sycamore.

*(a complete list of publications is available upon request)