Goodbye Summer
by Spencer Bednar, 9-18-2019
Last day of freedom,
the sky, a pale blue ocean above my head,
clouds lazily dog-paddling like fish
or like white swans floating upon shimmering water.
Last year, two swans begged for bread,
king and queen of small island
at center of lake. This year,
I’ve only seen ducks…
which I chased, rushing and flushing them.
The picnic was my choice
not mom’s veggies and stuff,
but Doritos, pickles and a sub
with meat, cheese, and mustard,
and a sprinkle of lettuce.
Ice cold soda would have made it
…. perfect. But Mom packed
“nutritious” water.
Like the puppies, Dad was a toddler,
not wanting to go down for a nap.
I felt happy as we were soon
bombarding each other with blasts
of water-gun wrath, running around trees,
of water-gun wrath, running around trees,
and rolling down hills.
The puppies, leashed, barked
and cheered us on. Mom read magazines,
snuck a BBQ chip or two (possibly 64).
In every story, there is a close,
or there won’t be a new adventure.
My new beginning began the next day.
Sixth grade.
