The Last Perfect Day of Summer

The dying sun is drifting in my window;

Resting warm upon my skin

And soothing, effortless,

The aches and pains of a thousand transitions;

Reversals of fate.

Beams dance across the wall and they smell,

To me, like fresh cut grass.

To me, those two are inseparable.

Maybe that's why winter sunlight never

Heals the way it should.

Outside my window,

Mockingbirds are calling me to come and play

But I'm too old for childish games.

Kids are laughing,

Racing down the dirt road on their bikes.

For a moment, I wish I could go with them.

Run and play and almost fly

And chase the mockingbird across the sky

But things are different now.

I'm all grown up.  Or nearly...

I can't deny that the fireworks this year

Still dazzled this child's eyes.

And I'll still drop all my money at the fair

If the rides will let me fly like in my dreams.

Above the treetops, the lights on the Ferris wheel

Glitter against the sky.

The circus still comes to town these days

But it doesn't come for me.

And that's alright.

This time tomorrow I'll be gone.

One small step out in the world.

I'm not afraid.

In fact, I'm so excited.

But there's a part of me that's sad

Because the sun will never look the same again

And nobody ever told me I would leave so soon.

The sun is gone until tomorrow

And tomorrow isn't like today at all.

The warmth still lingers on my skin though;

A last little kiss goodbye.

The Ferris wheel lights up the night

And I've never seen so many fireflies.

I guess they've come to say goodbye.

Goodbye to the little girl who chased them

because she loved them,

Who never hurt them and always let them go.

The girl who knew that wishes on stars

Always came true eventually

And who never begrudged

the mocking bird his song.

The mockingbird has flown away now;

Gone to roost in his nest among the stars.

Even the fireflies will go to bed eventually

And so will I.

I promise that when I wake tomorrow

I'll be strong and responsible

And independent;

The wise woman you've been raising all this time.

But tonight, I'm still a child.

And I'll be riding the Ferris wheel in my dreams

And promising the summer sun

That I will never forget.