summer pretty

Everything’s thick
And I can’t wait to get back and relax
Maybe I’ll shower first?
But once you’re showered it’s all different.
Somehow the thrill of it all,
You know,
The salt and the sweat and the sand all gives way to
A half-cleanse, less satisfying than you expected it to be
Exhaustion, but in the worst way possible
Exposure, your skin’s redder than you thought plausible
But why won’t this umbrella stop sliding down my sleeve
Every time it leaves a mark
Scrubbing the remaining sand into my half-baked body
But at least my hair’s lighter this time of year
You called it summer pretty
Which I had never heard before
But maybe it’s true,
I certainly like it better when I’m tan
Or maybe it’s less about the looks
I do always feel better around now
The heavy air holding us down,
Enjoying someone else’s hometown
And it’s probably just the movies that make me feel this way
Everyone here must want to get out,
Just like I did
My favorite season used to be fall
Just because I never had one
That putrid, humid heat stuck around way too long
And then when it was barely cold we called it winter
And then all of a sudden it was summer
The days longer, the sunlight stronger
But imagine not feeling any pain?
This walk would be a lot easier
I wouldn’t miss you nearly as much
I wouldn’t even be bothered by the sand scrubbing my feet
I wouldn’t stop and think about that place we used to meet
But here always makes me think of you
Transports me back to when life was better and I still longed for September
And it’s ridiculous that I’m still consumed by you
But that all seems to fade away
I manage to make it home just in time
Watch the moonrise
Turn off the lights
Save it for another day