Within me live a thousand unlived summers
– warm, idyllic
wistful, wild and free

Seagulls cry and waves collide
tanned legs swing, side by side
and dandelion blows freely through the breeze

Cicadas sing eternal song
the scent of jasmine lingers long
a swing sways idly in between two trees

Towels drape from a garden fence
Blackbirds sing from high-up nests
Long grass reaches right up to my knees

And as the sun sinks slowly down
the voices of those I’ve loved and known
rise to fill the balmy evening air

And in that moment, I am cocooned
by the thousand unlived summers
within me.