That Warm Summer Air

I still remember how it was like to play as a child.

Photo by Johnny Chau on Unsplash

The children play
and fool around all day
under the summer sun—no care for the air
they breathe. Feel nothing but the heat—
and the fun—in the sun. Run
toward another day, now:

Quell your contempt
for the hot and heavy breeze.
You don’t notice your breath—
of that warm summer air—
until there’s no more left to breathe.

©2022 A.X. Bates

The birds wake before the sun