of love; my youth in summer

it's already August, i'm in awe of how quick time passes

when summer was just starting to warm me up,

August brought rain, clouds and fierce winds

And in my selfish world, my home is crying for my near departure.

We are sitting in a shabby little restaurant,

The lights are yellow and dim, 

Christmas lights decorate the wall in front of me,

Red, green and blue lights flashing against the faces of the only men worth loving.

It is raining quite heavily behind us,

But the food has arrived and the rain seems to do the talking for us.

When we were still in our school uniforms,

Willem and I, we ran in the rain leaving Mordechai's house.

I remember all the laughter and the soaked sweaters. 

A few years later, the eldest is seventeen.

I'm crying under their umbrellas, their sweaters on my damp back, I was only 16.

After another few years, they receive a phonecall

I'm leaving for the next few months and do not want to go. 

And then another few years and we are in a pool.

Some private place; Mordechai's connections and our whiny cries.

It's Willem's first time; the eldest lost his dad on the same day a few years ago.

The pool gets warmer as a storm brews a few miles away.

A few hours later it starts drizzling, but we were drenched anyway. 

And then Mordechai and I are home for the summer after a year.

We are sat in this restaurant, cooped up in its dimness. 

Warmth in our corner, cold winds arguing outside,

I order a drink I might regret. 

The eldest just turned 22, the others following closely.

But as miracles go, we are 16 when we are together,

How lucky it is to have my youth reside in something so humble and forgiving.

The world I must confront later on in the month is cruel and bitter 

But it can wait.

For now, I am a friend, I am a sister

And my world cares for me and I receive tenth fold of the love I give. 

- ៷