Six Summers

here's to six summers of growing. Six summers of learning, finding, and creating myself.

here's to the summer of innocence

the summer of not needing to know who I was

here's to the summer of falling —

falling in love, falling apart

the summer I learned a definition for falling that I never learned in 4th grade

here's to the summer of wondering

wondering who I am

wondering if I'm alone

wondering why I feel and why I don't

here's to the summer of finding myself

the summer I learned to love myself

the summer I found myself in the bottom of a cardboard box covered with years of old yearbooks and dust covered regrets

here's to the summer of I love you's

a summer that finally slept

the summer when I discovered even if you don't love yourself someone else will

here's to the summer of I miss you's

a summer of sleepless nights

the summer that taught me what friends are

the summer I found forgiveness doesn't mix with forgetfulness

here's to the summer of now

the summer that leaves tomorrow

the summer I learned not to hide

this was the summer I stood on my own two feet and learned

this was the summer of me

and they tell me —

every summer has its own story

so I wrote my own.