Sirius Rising In August afternoons, moments drag. White heat impales motion On spears of fainting indolence. A dog barks once in leaden air; A cornstalk rustles dry leaves With reptilian whisper. No creatures dare the burning glare And smoldering heat of August day. Grasses droop in deathly pose, Languidly waiting, edges searing, The shimmering day star's receding. No cloud damps the blinding hot Nor sleep relieves the endless hours, The blue-fly-buzzing aeons, Of fiery dog-day afternoons.