Paige Elizabeth Wajda
uninhabitable
(of a place) unsuitable for living in.
by 2100 my neighbourhood
will be too hot to live in.
120° F will no longer be a summer fling
but a daily matrimony.
like winterfolk we’ll have to cover up
even for the briefest jaunt to the mailbox
(lest we come back burnt
covered in cancer, lips split like the asphalt)
january will no longer bring the relief
of the past; the snowbirds will fly further north
tortoises will cease their brumation
(if there are any left)
130° F will bring more blackouts
and more cracks in the blacktop
melted bodies on the sidewalks
piles of goop covered in clothes (better them
than us) left alone when they were young
the vegetables stayed green for weeks
in the end all they dreamt about
were chips of ice
at least the golfers will finally go home
and the traffic will dwindle as the gas runs out
we already dig down from June ’til September
soon we draw the curtains for good