Being an adult means lying in the sun
until you're hot enough to take a dip.

It means skimming the water
with fine-mesh nets
to collect the floating dead bugs.

Being an adult means thinking about cancer,
and worrying over every sunburn-forged mole.

It means that the paranoia
we all like to call love
haunts your thoughts accordingly.

Being an adult means your two primary concerns on a summer day
are children could potentially drown and consistent doses of SPF30.

It means that you forsake
your own thoughts
for the sake of sparing theirs.