A selection of my independent work

A Memory of Summer

It had been humid. The kind of heat that made your hair stick to the back of your neck, urging you to reach back and release the strands from their sweaty entrapment. In this suffocating atmosphere, the slight wind carried by the waves rolling up the shore offered no relief. Even the sounds were muffled. Although one could argue this weather was uncomfortable, I had found pleasure in it; In the aching screech of the metal chain begging for new parts as I swayed back and forth on the small swing. I would dig my toes into the warm sand, burrowing deeper to reach the rough, wet core. Would look up at the blue and purple hues as the sun exchanged its spot in the sky for the moon. 

It was during this time, during this trade, that I would be reminded of the suns on Tatooine. Of those nights I’d spent with my brothers, watching those movies. A memory I’d often wish I could return to. 

Those nights were hot too. Made better, though, by the old AC. It cut through the thickness of the air, sending sweaty chills down our spines. Sometimes I'd bring myself to stand in front of it, humming quietly into the vent, listening to the mechanical tones that echoed back to me. Until inevitably my mother would warn me of the sickness to follow.

I was much younger than my brothers. They’d had plenty more summer nights than I. However, we were all still young. The kind of youth where we could spend entire days sitting in the bottom bunk, surrounded by pillow walls and blanket roofs. 

It was different now.

So much time had passed since then; so many summers since then, at first together. Then alone. Yet still, I thought of those nights, perhaps, through rose colored glasses. 

It's days like those that I’d wish to go back to. I'd spent years of my life wishing I could return to those simple times. But, that's not how it works. Not how life works. Life is about remembering those times fondly and moving forward. It is about knowing that it's not about the time period, but about the feelings that came with it. And eventually that feeling, that comfort, will come again. Everyday holds that same potential.