The sun is shining,
the wind is blowing,
the water is cooling —
this is summer.

The kids are playing in the pool,
the parents are watching while talking to the others—
this is summer.

But the older kids,
the new adults,
they are nowhere to be found.
They are hiding,
hiding from the empty boxes.
They are in mourning —
of their childhood.
They are letting go.
This is summer.

The older kids stay inside,
Where they hear the giggles, the joy, the laughter —
Where they hear the water splashing —
Where they will never be again.
This is summer.

The older kids remember when it was them,
with their parents,
with their friends —
but now their stomachs ache to go back.
They wonder where all of their time went.
They want to go back.
But they can’t —
they’re already leaving.
They watch the kids play in the pool
they used to called their own.
Now, the older kids are moving on.
This —
is summer.