We started out like cherry blossoms in the early spring
Bright and powder pink and perfectly paramount
Picnics were held every Sunday afternoon,
Laughs that were way too loud caused stares from across the park
We picked ripe strawberries off stubborn stems
Hours upon hours spent dancing around the garden
I counted the rose petals while giggling with delight
Always ending on “she loves me” and never “not”
Summer was our pinnacle
I counted the fresh freckles that bloomed on your flushed cheeks
Not minding the umber streaks of dirt that underlined our every fingernail
Our limbs tangled and undid beneath the lake’s cool surface
The water just cold enough to bring a chill to our simmering skin
Lemon zest coated the ceramic countertops you had your grandfather build
And I loved the chop that made your hair only reach the bottom of your chin
Our three-month school break made room for us
Autumn changed the direction of the winds, and the direction of us
Leg warmers bunched completely down at your ankles
No matter how many times I reminded you they were meant to stretch more
Our matching keychains clinked as we swung our tote bags on our shoulders
Before there was a slight squeeze of your fingers on mine, and then nothing more
Conflicting schedules drove a tough wooden wedge between our intertwined pinkies
We tried to stay in touch, to touch our hands, to touch each other’s hearts
But like the autumn leaf, you drifted
down,
down,
down,
Until we were no longer a vibrant emerald,
instead burnt sienna against cement pavement.
Winter’s chill froze what was left of us
The bite of the blizzard breeze too much for us to bear
Your gaze was more icy than the negatives in nature’s degrees
Frostbite might’ve been more tolerable
I wish there was a fire strong enough to thaw your despise
To warm us by the chimney as we nursed a shared hot chocolate
The kind without peppermint sticks, because you always declared it “too strong”
But now I suck on a candy cane, solitary, in my itchy fleece Christmas pajamas
Wishing things could have stayed the same
As cozy as we used to be
I yearn for the golden rays that used to dapple your fingers
For the comfortable autumns spent binging nostalgic cartoons
For the fuzzy feel of your lips on mine once again
But the seasons change
and so did you.