Monday, October 29, 2018



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