This month’s theme is setting. Today’s prompt is a setting anyone, anywhere, can use because all of us are experiencing August. How can August inspire your writing?

I’ve worked so much on my novel in the past year that I neglected my poetry skills. I decided to write a poem about August in the Buckeye State, inspired by the monthly poems John Updike wrote in A Child’s Calendar, one of my favorite books of poetry. When I think of August, heat, humidity, dusty or hazy afternoons, and the threat of school looming ever closer comes to mind.

August

Summer was worn out its welcome.

The beach is no longer refreshing, just sandy.

The sunshine is no longer warm, just scorching.

Even fireflies have grown bored and disappeared.

But …

At night, a chill steals through the humidity,

Bringing whispers of haunted eves, cosy hearths, and a night of utter wonder.

For more ideas on how August can inspire your writing, click here.

What does August look like where you live?