And like no time has gone by,
I am reminded of you again.

The gentle summer breeze caresses my body
The sultriness tickles my skin
My cheeks flush, embarrassed from
their reaction the heat
I try to catch my breath in the depths of this humidity
you’d only pull away for a second
then you’d take my breath again

I feel your familiar arms wrap around me
like they haven’t forgotten my shape
my body reacts to your embrace,
I pull the towel around me harder.

Even now, I wear that tiny blue bikini
I still hide myself underneath dad’s big t-shirts
because I’m too embarrassed for anyone to see me
The pool water makes it cling tight to me
I slide my hands underneath to take it off and let it dry
I still feel your hands yearning by different intentions

I’m terrified of storms, just like I used to be
but I sit out in the rain and wait for them to end
the rain runs across my scalp
and through the fibers of my hair
and sends chills down my spine
I can feel your body for a moment
Your fingers are the raindrops
It’s like you never even left

The fireflies flicker on and off all night
the saccades hum their summer time songs
I still check for your 1 am texts

I still sit around our fire pit
during late summer nights
I watch mosquitos land up and down my body
leaving marks for everyone to see their tender love
they don’t hurt as good as yours did, my dear

Every second of summer reminds me of you,
every fall leaf is another day I fell deeper,
yet winter is still the hardest.
Because summer is only a memory of how much I loved you
but winter never lets me forget how you stopped.