When one walks in heavy air

There is much which dares

Gnats which fly under nose

And things jump at your toes



Sticky air does hang still

And movement in it is a pill

As sweat beads down all around

And the noise of silence abounds



The deadness of air does reveal

A lack of bird sounds that peal

In the cooler air which precedes

This heaviness which does steal



Energy from our heads to heels

And all we want to do is kneel

Or bow down to that which steals

Life ... with which we cannot deal



- Tristram