Do You Remember the Summer (a poem)

Do you remember the summer,
When we played outside all day long,
While the sun crawled up our skin?
Our parents
Would sit and relax,
While we ran for miles,
Chasing each other with those plastic water guns.
That was our summer.

But soon,
Summer was no longer summer anymore.
It wouldn’t be warm,
But instead cold or dry.
We would stay inside while our parents did housework.
It wasn’t fair—
Summer was over forever.

On occasion,
The heat would creep into the week
Like a shadow not wanting to be discovered.
I could play with my friends like I used to,
But not for long,
Until my mother dragged me inside,
So I wouldn’t get burnt in the peak sun.

I remember the summers,
When I would beg my parents for ice cream from the ice cream van.
It would go around in circles replaying its jaunty jingle.
Kids would chase it happily,
Just so they could enjoy a nice ice cream with a chocolate flake that melted in the sun.
Every day was a holiday for us children.

In the end,
I would never forget the summer
That we once had,
Even though now,
It rains depressingly
Over towns.