5 Summers

On the edge of summer, under a cloudless sky,
I met you by the river—watching time slip by.
That first summer rushed in like a fevered flood,
Bright with new longing, love in our blood.
We were breathless, electric—a tangible pull,
Hearts unguarded, reckless and full.
Every glance struck fire, every word a dare,
As if we’d stumbled into some uncharted air.

The second summer was the one we were engaged,
Two lives intertwined, happy as our love raged.
We lived in the touch, the “forever” we’d found,
Barely tethered, feet skimming ground.
Deep and steady, the roots began to hold,
A story of us that refused to grow old.

The third summer, a promise was set in stone,
Envisioning a future we claimed as our own.
Hope rose like a mountain, towering and still,
A shimmering peak we believed we could will.
We stood in that light like it couldn’t fade,
Certain forever was something we’d made.
A vow so solid it shaped our view,
Of every tomorrow we thought we knew.

The fourth summer, distance arrived in disguise,
In words left hanging and turned-away eyes.
What went unspoken began to lead,
Threading itself through everything we’d agreed.
Patterns of avoidance, a quiet cold thread,
Manipulation woven through things left unsaid.

By the fifth summer, the silence had won,
A faded love, the damage all done.
I woke to the sunlight and started to rise,
Shedding the weight and the weary disguise.
I was evolving, finding my spark,
While you stayed behind, hiding in the dark.
And then we drifted like rivers parting ways,
I loved you 5 summers, 6 winters, 2,167 days.