Ceiling Fan

The ceiling fan blows strong in summer, as kids slurp cold water— their teeth crack the ice like a shattering glass display. A shrug to patience the parents sigh, the leash jerks with tight restraint, their shouts perturb the neighbor's dog, while a jittery mailman backs away, with locking zig-zagging knees, into the hot wall of orange haze, where the sun swells and fades.