I wrote this poem during a heatwave while sitting on our porch swing. The world seemed to slow down to a sticky stop. My partner and I spent the whole day just being in the warm weather together. I wanted to capture that special summer feeling when time feels stretched out and even the small things seem important.
the watermelon juice drips down your chin,
the seeds scattered across kitchen tile,
the afternoon sun catching your smile,
your sticky fingers interlaced with mine;
the ceiling fan circles above our bed,
the sheets tangled around sunburned legs,
the ice cubes melting in sweating glasses,
the cicadas singing through window screens;
your hair smells like chlorine and sunscreen,
your shoulders freckled from afternoon naps,
your laughter echoing across still water,
your shadow stretching longer each evening;
we eat dinner outside after sunset,
we count fireflies like scattered wishes,
we argue over whose turn to refill,
we fall asleep to distant thunder;
the neighbors’ sprinkler hisses nearby,
the charcoal smoke drifts between houses,
the porch light draws moths in dizzy spirals,
the night air finally cool against skin;
