August has never been my favorite month. I remember Augusts in Iowa City when I was a child. We had no air conditioning then, and my mother, sister and I had our bedroom in the attic. It was so hot we could not sleep, so many nights my sister and I took blankets downstairs and slept on them on the uncarpeted living room floor (where it was just a bit less hot). During those times, I often had nightmares of being caught in a fire. Our grandmother often hosed down the house to cool it off. I still prefer 10º below zero to 99º with high humidity!

When my husband and I lived in College Park, Maryland, some good friends brought their three daughters for a visit one August. We all went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., but it was so hot and humid, we made a unanimous decision to return rather quickly to our apartment where, by that time, we did have air conditioning.

Despite my views—which put August at the bottom of favorite months, slightly below

February—August had more nominations in the Favorite Month poetry contest than any other month. There is no accounting for taste! Of course, August is cooler farther North than it is in Iowa City; Washington, D.C.; or the Chicago area. And “down under” it is spring.

Congratulations to the winner of the October Poetry Challenge, Jim Landwehr who currently lives in Wisconsin. And thank you to the other poets who entered—all the poems were interesting, and several came close to winning.

Lady August

August to me is

like the girlfriend

who wants to break up

but asks if you

can still be friends.

It’s not you, it’s me.

It is both freeing

and frightening

because you both know

what is coming

when she leaves.

Her absence makes you cold

your mood darkens

you stop working out

for six months

and gain weight.

At the same time,

when she’s with you

she’s always warm

-sometimes downright hot-

makes you want to shed clothes

walk barefoot and

sleep in the waning sun.

Despite my attempts

to work out an arrangement

she always goes

leaving me cold and alone.

~ Jim Landwehr

Poets retain copyright to their own poems.

Bio: Jim has two published memoirs, The Portland House: a ‘70s memoir, and Dirty Shirt: a Boundary Waters memoir, by eLectio Publishing. He also has three poetry collections, Written Life, Reciting From Memory, and On a Road. His nonfiction has been published in Main Street Rag, Sundown Press and others. His poetry has been published in many different journals. Jim currently resides in Waukesha, WI. For more information, visit: http://jimlandwehr.com.

© Wilda Morris