Warmer weather has me thinking of summer. Summer, when I was a kid. A long time ago.
We were poor in funds, rich in family, and too young to know or care that some kids went away to summer camp.
We camped too, by the river or at Salton Sea (my least favorite place), sleeping on blankets inside or outside a tent—if there was one.
Tios, tias, primos/Uncles, aunts, cousins gathered together a few times during the sweltering summers in Pomona, California.
I don’t know if there is such a thing as a ‘memoir’ poem, but my nostalgia for the summer days of childhood brought these words:
Sounds of Summer
Salty air, scorching sand
burning toes,
scents of sulfur
linger over Salton Sea
Picnics on Cucamonga river
sage scented air
mesquite smoke
earthy campfire coffee
aromas cross-bred forever
Sprays of cool water,
float over inner tubes
sunburned skin,
cutoff shorts
trencitas
braids
Slippery river rock
pollywogs tickling feet
water spiders causing shrieks
kids dash, splash, laugh
Watermelons wedged between rocks
sticky sweet juice drips over
dusty smiling faces
don’t swallow the seeds
images of tiny melons planted in bellies
Corn silk floating beside
shucked leaves piled high
diced green chiles
juicy tomatoes
pungent onions
the click clack of knives against cutting boards
White hot glowing embers
full stomachs on cool nights
warm ponchos, cold beer
a seat in the circle of camping chairs
Stories among the songs of long ago
no s’mores, but
smiles of contentment while
campfire smoke drifts
into memory
flower seeds crack
salty lips, drowsy eyes
flashlight shadow puppets
on tent covered walls
sounds of family
sounds of summer
What do you remember of your childhood summers?
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