The Art of Seasons

by TW

It always surprises me,
How the seasons change

Autumn comes and goes with the breeze
Gone no sooner than it appeared

With winter following on its tiptoes
Ever so eager to be at the front of the line

Winter builds up its camp and stays there for a year
Remains present and ever watchful

Leaving my teeth chattering
And my hands jumping like fleas with each shiver

At every exhale winter surrounds me
The woman watching from the window

Breathing ice and apathy down my neck
All I can do is fold myself over my knees

And pray she goes away

And then she is gone

Spring lasts for an instant,
The length of a sneeze and then summer is among us

Loud, and overbearing,
Summer unpacks itself onto us and lasts an eternity

Her sweaty hugs cling to the skin
Her breath is humid and makes you itch

Summer grabs you by the wrist,
Fingers sticky with popsicle syrup

Up into the splintered treehouse

And tells you to make a wish

You close your eyes
And it burns a bit from the chlorine

But you close your eyes anyway and you wish

You wish for something in-between

For a season that doesn’t thaw too quickly

And then altogether melt

Just to freeze again

You hope that the seasons don’t hear you when you wish this
But by the time you reopen your eyes

The air is crisp and slightly chilled
Summer has gone, leaving autumn in her wake

By the time the realization hits you,

Your wish has come true

Tracy Wetzel is a college student from California that aims to create art in as many forms as possible. Her motto is "I want to contribute to the chaos" and she strives to do that no matter the public embarrassment or social outcasting. She spends most of her time rhyming and overusing as many words as she can think of.