Sophia

16

SPF 50

I was leaning against the kitchen counter
Watching my mother scoop out the spherical pit of an avocado
She diced the avocado and we popped the buttery cubes into our mouths
Barefoot on the cold blue tiles, unaffected by the 85 degrees outside
The sun’s flecks freckled our faces and soon
Laced the sky with golden filigree
We shelled rambutans, peeled mangoes, sliced peaches and scooped out pomegranate arils
Sticky sweet juices dripping onto our hands and we laughed
Because that was
Happiness

Louisa and I sat on the lawn
Teak chairs and bikinis
Staring at the swimming clouds
90 degrees and our sunscreen was melting
I watched Louisa bite into a slice of watermelon,
Her eyes closed, eyelashes catching scintillating rays
We got into my car and looped the highway
Until it was dark enough for us to go to the beach
We forgot where we fell asleep that night but
That next morning we woke up in my bedroom
Hair still tousled by salt spray
My mother walked in and when she kissed both our foreheads
I started to cry a little because she knew where to find us
Even when we weren’t lost
And that is a truly beautiful, happy thing

It was almost 100 degrees outside and
I sat at the window noticing the sundial and
The fluorescent drops of melted Popsicle pooling on the asphalt and
The sidewalk gap everyone tripped over every now and then and
The teak chairs Louisa and I forgot to put back
It soon became overcast and that was when
I tasted the sun rolling around on my tongue
Swaddled in the glow of holy, I faced east
To where I would soon rise like a muted hum