Akward Love
Awkward Love
By Rebecca White
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 8
I sit here swinging
My feet back
And forth over the
Concrete barrier.
The sweating summer air
Kissing my tanned
Hot skin.
As the fireflies buzz by
In a bright flurry
Of translucent wings.
Zipping past my knees
As I throw dandelion petals
Into the deep river water.
The contrast of the thoughtful
Wise water
And
The anxious passionate
Air
Seems to mix at the surface
Pooling my emotions
At its face.
I hear the crunch of sandals
On twigs as
I move my hair behind
My ears.
The noise gets closer
And I turn
Around To see
Him.
Mathew is standing over me
smiling.
His hands in his pockets
Trying to look casual.
His blond hair is shaggier than
During school months.
He has sun freckles on his nose
Like a little wingspan
Over his cheeks.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
He sits beside me looking
Out over the river.
He looks at me and smiles again.
He seems almost giddy.
We're there for what feels like years
Just basking in each others
Insecurities.
“Beautiful night.
Not too many of these before school
Starts,”
I say, interrupting the silence.
He gazes at me, his
Eyes so calm.
“Don’t you just hate it!”
I outburst suddenly.
He starts to speak as the
crickets begin to chirrup.
“I don’t think I could hate anything
When I’m around
You.”
I pause. I hadn’t
Expected that at all.
My heart flutters
Like the dragonflies
In the lily pad vines.
“I love you.”
I couldn’t hold it back
The feeling overcame me
Like a tidal wave
On a scared
Little toddler too
Young to know what was
Happening.
He leans into me and
We kiss.
I can only think of
His eyes,
His hands running
Through the back
Of my hair.
I feel like summer air
To his
Wise water.