Summer is wet asphalt

Little hands clasped together

Off on another adventure.

Summer is loud pools and quiet porch swings

Sizzling hamburgers and cherry-stained mouths.

Summer is birthdays

And bright pink cake

And presents.

Summer is the smell of new notebooks

And pointy colored pencils.

Summer is another birthday

More cake

More presents.

Summer is thinking about having two digits in our
ages.

I’m jealous because you’re a month older than me.

Summer is the musty gym

Standing in a line

Listening to the teachers talk about our five years
together.

It’s waiting

And waiting

And waiting

And waiting

To have a locker and a big backpack.

Summer is wondering who’s dating who

Laughing when people think we’re

“A thing.”

Then it’s wondering what happened

A different musty gym

And different teachers

To send us off.

Summer is freedom

With birthdays

And cake

And no homework.

It’s talking about

The “real world”

And where we’ll go.

It’s me realizing I’ll miss you.

It’s little cafes and the condensation of cold drinks

Cooling my sweaty palms.

Summer is a road trip

With weepy parents

Trying to give us too many hugs.

We aren’t going to be apart.

Summer is finally kissing you.

Then summer is visiting everyone

Saying hi

How are you

But it’s not the same.

Summer is missing you

Because your family moved

And you’re visiting them.

It’s more wondering

What will happen next.

Summer is hats

With little tassels

And black cloaks that are too hot

Summer is sunlight reflecting off of the diamond

Off of your glistening eyes

Off of mine.

Summer is home.

Summer is a white dress

And everyone has water guns

And they shoot at us

And we are happy.

Summer is wet asphalt

And hands clasped together

Off on another adventure.