This is an attempt to capture the element/feeling of grief in poetry, in response to DVerses prompt post in “Poetics: Picking up the Pieces. ”
As a father with a co-parenting schedule, I get most of the time with my daughter during Summer breaks, in which I get her half-time. Towards the end of the Season, right before school starts, I begin to feel sorrow as my time with her will slow down with the school year and I won’t get to see her as much. This honestly puts me in a funk every Summer’s end.
Summer’s End
Our days of Sunshine
and smile are coming to an end.
a heatwave of summer fests, bike rides,
bug hunts and lake trips
will soon eclipse, as it
does on every school's return,
calling kids back to learn.
With the Season's winding down
the schedules change,
and my time with you
will also wane
even just the thought
of fewer days brings pain.
How I'll miss our weeklong
quests of swimming, ice cream trips,
and late-night binging.
It's in the Summer where
you learned to ride a bike,
cannon balled into the pool,
pulled tomatoes from the garden,
tested your courage at six-flags,
stayed up late watching horror films,
built sand castles on the Ocean's beach,
It's no wonder that I call you my Sunshine,
making Summer's brighter
and the other Seasons
dimmer.
The end of summer brings a mix of emotions for many parents, especially those with co-parenting schedules. While the school year means less time together, the memories made during the summer will always hold a special place in our hearts. For more heartfelt poetry and literature, visit our blog at The Ritual.
Poem by Willy Martinez, and is intended for Mind on Fire Books only.*
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