laughs carried down by an ocean breeze
we spin beach umbrellas like strip poles
as the world spins beneath our feet
your smile is contagious, and i know

i have the worst tanline in a history of tanlines
but this is the best time i've had in a long time

These tan lines remind me of
a time when I was truley happy.
Not long ago
I was with you.
My sunray - the only one
that I don't despise,
could never block out.
These tan lines remind me of
you and I.
Misplaced.
A bit uneven.
But they will stay there
as long as my sun ray
continues to shine.

girls like you
deserve a love that
always feels
like summer,
a love that
sings like waves against the sand
feels like freckles and anklet tanlines
smells like sunscreen and
Mackinac Island Fudge
dripping down your chin—
a love that never ends
like those rays of sun that
spray over Lake Michigan
and tickle heaven.
you part your lips
to speak and
just like that
my world
becomes
lyrical—
dipping and twisting
like a kite in the sky
flowing freely like
your baby hairs coming
out of your braid,
like your laugh as it
echoes down the
quiet shoreline,
around the chambers
of my soul.
girls like you
deserve a love that
always feels
like summer—
I pray that
your summer
never ends.

I am my tan lines, The marks burnt into my skin
I am my smile, festering emotions from within
You've seen my markings
You've seen my sins
But you'll never see
Where I need to begin

There comes a point in summer when I begin to wish for winter. When I tire of sweat and lukewarm showers.

There is a day when I’d like every tree in sight to stop covering their pain, and expose the reality of grey and withered limbs.

There is a night I wish for twelve blankets on my bed, only my nose exploring the freezing atmosphere.

There is a minute I wish to replace sandals with boots, and tanlines with skin like moonlight.

There is an hour I’d rather you and I hid away, with cold toes and frigid fingertips, than go to the lake and sip beer with plasticine friends.

There is a second I spend wishing for grey clouds to cover the mocking sun, for bitter gales to replace a dancing breeze.

There is a month, I wish the grass would hide its bragging leaves, and the snow would come out and play.

There are a few hours I spend pretending, I turn on every fan, dim the lights, put on pajamas, drink coffee, and cower beneath one solitary blanket. Hoping winter spies me, takes pity, and make the hours-minutes-days-months-seconds his.

I'd **** to be on the beach right now
No cares, no worries, sand gently blowing at my brow
Looking out at the clear blue sea
With an ice cold drink in the chair next to me
A tequila Sunrise would go well as the sun sets
Eyeballing the tanlines with slim to no regrets
Oh what I'd give to be on the beach right now
Gulls crowing overhead, the beauty of nature making me whisper quietly, wow.

When I was nine and reckless
sunburnt and covered in dirt
my mother yelled that all I ever do is make a mess
Now I make a point to clean twice as much as my siblings

When I was ten and childish
loud-mouthed and over-excited
my mother yelled that if she ever saw my face again she would **** me
Now I stay out of her way when she's angry

When I was eleven and enamored by the world
learning, stuffing my head with facts and numbers
my mother yelled that I talk to much and should learn to be quiet
Now I keep my discoveries to myself

When I was twelve and growing
Always hungry, always eating
my mother yelled that I over doubled our grocery bill
Now I don't eat much at home

When I was thirteen and lonely
talked to the moon and the stars
my mother yelled that I should get a friend; stop lazing around home
Now I stay out of my house as much as possible

Now I'm fourteen and finally happy
tanned and shouting at the top of my lungs
my mother yells that I don't spend enough time with my family
Now I refuse to listen to those screams

The words your mother says
stay with you your entire life
I won't let them

What is it about winter
that strips us bare?
are we trying to blend
with the trees
or become hollow
like the sound of the wind?
i just know it makes me vulnerable
and a slave to my emotions.
im in awe with
the first snow fall
and the way i can see
my breathe in the air
to prove how i am truly alive
although it does fade in time
gets old
much like young love.
i am infatuated with winter
but it's only
a fling
as another portion of the year
will roll around
flowers will grow
around my ribcage
and sunshine
will glow from my skin
i will cater to my emotions
and shape them into positivity.
i will fall into love
with summertime;
freckles and tanlines.
until another portion of the year
rolls around,
and a new piece of me is born.

Shrills and shrieks of joyful children,
early in the morning
Sun shines through rippling curtains,
golden and gracious in soft light
Sandal tanlines, eating icecreams
on the heated pavement
And we know: Summer is here

Homemade apple pie from trees
in the blessed blooming garden,
where colours thrive and dance
like kites in the sky

Craving shade through humid walks,
shadows of winter left behind
in the cold
Icy water refreshes, revives us
And we know: Summer is here

Late night sounds of the church bells
rich as the air drifts swiftly in,
sweet and new as the day
which quickly dawns

But our smiling eyes are heavy,
with tired laughs and scents
of smoke
as the barbeque cooks
the last meal
of the long, long day
And we know: Summer is here

Tank tops and flip flops
Lounge chairs and boat docks
Swimsuits and tanlines
I need my sunshine!
Pretty daze
Of the sunshine’s rays,
Through the wait of winter
It’s
My sunny daze
That takes me to
My happy place.

i am my hands
and all that my gentle hands do
the words they write,
the wheels they steer,
the hands they hold
my palms are a story; i beg you to look deeper
see the cracks in my flesh, because those marks,
they belong to me
i want you to find your way through the dark
by touching only my fingertips

i am my feet
and all the miles they have traveled
the all too hot sand
and the all too cold water
i am bright red toenails
and sandal tanlines
use my footsteps as a guide,
step where I have stepped,
i will never lead you astray

i am my eyes
and all the beauty they witness
two doors to the soul,
creaking as they open,
letting the light shine through me
i belong to every single blink my eyes have fluttered
my own personal camera, they show me the way
please, get lost in my eyes
open my doors
do not be afraid of what’s on the other side

i want you to unwrap me,
unravel me,
understand me
you see, i am the overwhelming desire to be known
underneath what is on the outside,
underneath the layers that keep me together

my body is a home
let me shelter you with it
it is all i’ve ever known