The Roman Warm Period

Read Write Poem National Poetry Month Challenge #2: Acronyms
I got greedy and used a bunch of acronyms that all had to do with weather. It was fun!

The Roman Warm Period

During the Roman Warm Period, Sun
was judged two times a day: Ratings
were placed; she was held to a standard--
a required weather performance
for morning and dusk. (Afternoons
were for sleeping, so Sun
could just be herself then).
She was expected
to obey certain mandates; to beat down
upon the dusty barefooted, to dry
long black hair flung
into her first light from the mouths of windows,
to warm the glossy flanks
of work horses. Then evenings--
goblets and children and women, most
especially the young; who hung
together in the town square, twirling
their dinner noodles like shameless flirts,
wicked in anticipation
of the attentions of men, which, if Sun
did her job, always came: ruddy
and rank at the end of day, baked
with stale heat and want.

Of course, this was before
the Realtime Weather Processor,
or even weathermen.
Back then, they didn't need
a rolling wire probe to poke at Sun
and analyze her rigid wave patterns;
her output. Back then, they just knew.

Now it's all about efficiency; radiant
wall panels sucking in her light
to power stoves and fridges.
No goes outside
evenings anymore.
Everyone wears shoes.
And never any flirting on the patio with pasta.

--Kristen McHenry


Acronyms Used: Required Weather Performance, Roman Warm Period, Radiant Wall Panels, Ratings Were Placed, Rolling Wire Probe, Rigid Wave Pattern, Realtime Weather Processor