“Remember When Summers Were Long?” by Keith Perks

there's this feeling
that comes with spring.
as the grass
gets its green back
and as the flowers
grow again,
something inside me
sparks to life.

once dead
from the winter frost,
warms in the sun
and stretches
outward.
it reaches for
blue skies.
it reaches for
the smell of rain.
it reaches for
timeless days.

the summers
aren't long enough
anymore.
when we were young,
we had endless
summer nights.
we chased fireflies
as we chase
the minutes today.
trying to capture them
delicately in our hands
and jar them
to watch their light.
but their light fades.

nothing shines forever.

with winter's last snow
and spring on the rise,
i know the smell
of autumn will be
here in the blink
of an eye,
preparing me
for another winter.

what was stretched out
like a mighty oak,
will crawl back down,
deep inside and
pass away quietly
and slowly
into the cold dark night.