That Summer
You ran around the yard with that jar in your hands. The yellow lights beckoned you. I wasn’t the only one who watched. The pine trees glanced down from the towering sky. The owls asked who you were chasing. The wind raced you. I don’t know how many you caught that night, but I remember the fireflies never seemed to glow so bright.
The Atlanta air was thick that summer. We sat on the porch steps mixing watermelon filled mouths with gin. You always used to say “darlin, you're sweeter than fruit and have got more spirit than liquor.” I laid my head on your lap and just counted the clouds. The air was suffocating but I had never felt so alive.
“Do you know why willow trees fly? Swaying to the songs of the birds, mimicking their flight in the wind?” I could hear the wind whispering the secret to the stems. Some of the leaves left with it, but most couldn’t bear to leave the roots behind.
The pier was alive that day. The seagulls screeched, fighting over a dripping ice cream cone. The waves knocked against the wooden beams trying to catch our attention. The ships dragged across the water like a pawn in a game of chess. He laughed and said, “why do we put ships in a bottle?” I didn’t know the answer, but I chuckled and said, “why do we put messages in a bottle?” Maybe there is something beautiful about captivity.
Fourth of July meant fireworks and campfires. It meant running around in my bathing suit trying to catch your attention. It gave us an excuse to celebrate, to grip the necks of cheap liquor bottles and whisper truths buried beneath the haze. The wooden floor creaked under our feet as we danced. We watched the colors waltz around the sky. They reflected a neon spotlight.
That summer was our last, and we made a promise to live like it was. In August, we held popsicles and the truth between our teeth. Mostly because we were scared to swallow it. The summer days grew tired and so did you. September came and you were gone. I looked for the fireflies but all I found was darkness. The owls asked who I was chasing.
