summer break

I don’t like the spring & it’s not the spring’s fault.

I don’t like March because it leads to April

And I don’t like April because it leads to May

And I don’t like May because it leads to June

And I don’t like June: the month of dread

The month of forced smiles, fake excitement, picnic table lunches

Short sleeves or no sleeves, yard work projects

Shaded windows, bread, and cheese

The days are longer than they’ve ever been,

And we all count them down in secret.

Then there’s July: the month of waiting

There is always another corner of the backyard to scrub clean,

Another part of an engine to stare at for hours,

Another mind-numbing movie from the 60’s to pretend to watch.

The summer feels like it’ll never end, and I

Am screaming at the top of my lungs, in my mind, all the time

Until there’s August: finally, finally, almost there

Don’t forget to look sad - family time is almost at an end

He’ll have to go back to work soon: so sad, isn't it terrible how time flies

We get in a few last outings - the museum, the park, Knott’s Berry Farm,

Standing around in the sun and looking happy

I pretend it’s the last time and revel in that, at least.

And then it’s September. At last

A taste of freedom, for the first time in months -

I can sit down, read a book, be alone and exist.

The weather starts to cool, and the rain comes back - rain! -

Still pretend to hate it, in the evenings, but he’s not there to see me smile

The fall is the reprieve, the winter is the safe haven

The dread is far enough away to forget about it, for a little while.

Not until the spring, when the flowers come back

It’s a beautiful thing, but I can’t appreciate it -

I don’t like the spring.