For all of my whining about the heat this time of year I really do lament my childhood summers. I wake up some days to the most vivid memories of walking with friends (oddly I cannot remember one single face, and can only assume they were all of my neighborhood pals) through the woods, into a spooky tunnel under the highway and out the other side into more woods and a miles long creek that let into a deep “pool”. There was a rope swing someone had tied to a tree that we would take turns flinging ourselves from, into the muddy creek water. I was once chased by a snake that I can only assume was a water moccasin. I outswam that fucker tho. Summers just hit different as a kid. It was late nights, kick the can, ghosts in the graveyard, movies in friend’s basements, catching fireflies and screaming at the boys to stop pulling their little light bellies off, walking or riding bikes to god knows where til god knows when. Or someone’s mom would drive to the local public pool and drop us off all day with a few bucks for video games and snacks. We would come home fried, starving and exhausted. And then some days I’d sit inside in the cold air conditioning and watch TV all day. (I still do that.)
© 2024 Jenny Andrews
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