Christmas in July

Free verse, 34 lines.

I'm tired of the heat wave!
How low does my thermostat go?
I have an idea and crank the AC down to 58° Fahrenheit...
Then pop on my favorite fuzzy blue cable knit sweater
And prepare a Santa mug of hot chocolate
with a peppermint candy cane
Relishing the icy blast of air from the ceiling
as the AC complies with my request.
Settling down on the sofa in front of
my flickering electric fireplace sans heat,
I pretend it's too cold and thoroughly enjoy myself...
Until guilt starts setting in, the realization:
What am I doing? Wasting everyone's precious resources
making my home an iceberg
When others less privileged are suffering,
The unhoused, the linemen, construction workers, landscapers.
And besides, I'll probably break the AC, fifty degrees difference
indoors and out is too much for it to handle.
So I pack the sweater away again, raise the temperature
and come up with a better idea...
Care packages for those less fortunate:
Sunscreen, umbrellas, mosquito spray, thermoses of ice, foil cooler bags full of
snack bars, Halos and apples
It's not much, but it could save lives in this weather.
I head out to the closest homeless camp
They watch as I approach,
scruffy, suspicious men, careworn nervous women,
black, white, young, old...
They take the gifts with gratitude and I see hope
"God bless you" they tell me, and I feel
a cool eerie shiver of joy as I comprehend
I have found the spirit of Christmas.