Here, I Belong

I feel your cool breeze

Exhaling along my sunburnt skin;

The smell of sweltering summer days filled with laughter

Lingers in the air

Your crisp water nips at my ankles

Cold as ice, yet comforting

Against the blistering heat of the sun

Beating down upon my upturned face

You guide the canoe along your creek,

My triceps aching from rowing upstream;

I toss the oar into the metal cavity

And launch myself into your cool, welcoming embrace

Bare feet skip along your rocky shore,

Sidestepping the sharp shards of glass

While hunting for shells and treasures, young eyes

As keen as that of an eagle

I sit on the decaying dock,

Feet hovering above your waters

While sugar-coated lips

Sip from a bright can full of fizziness

I feel a sense of peace

When I’m with you;

Not a worry in sight,

Simply existing with the world around me

Not like there,

Full of stress, unfairness, and frustration;

Not like there,

Hunched shoulders and tear-stained cheeks;

But here,

I am home.