You asked for spring and I gave it to you
I grew leaves bright in my hair
And paled my skin to soft morning sky blue
And lavished the world with words of a new leaf
With earth under my nails and honeydew sprouting from my throat
You said “I love you, don’t ever change”
But seasons come and go
And I grew too hot for you
I rose up like redwood and reached deeper into parched soil
My skin browned and sweat dripped down my back
Only to be coated with dust
I spat forest fires and blazed brighter than what you dared to look at
And I was too great for you
I grew too much
I was no longer a sprout of sweet baby’s breath
Shy and fairy-tale whimsy
I am now capricious like the drought and following flood and the
rolling thunder that bombards the earth,
that refuses to be silenced, roaring, flashing passion that leaves scars

I am the summer, and you say “You’ve changed”
I am the summer, and I say “I have.”