A Summer Sestina

Poem by Amelie Lynn Peterson

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Gas station bathrooms with no mirrors
Summer songs I can drown in to pretend that I’m not real
Going on drives/Hoping to leave myself behind
Bare feet in the sand/Earbuds in/Volume up
Waves of seagulls taking flight from hot pavement
High-power A/C cools my neck/Lifts my hair 
 
Newly cut grass at a public park leaving remnants in my hair
Heat waves rise off car hoods in my rearview mirrors
Summer smells like sunscreen/Smells like ice cream on the pavement
The smells make the season tangible/Make it memorable/Make it real
For those of us who don’t know what day it is/Can’t keep up
Long walks/Ice cream sandwiches/Lift us skyward/Leave us behind