What I did this Summer Vacation

Emma Harris, Content Editor

That summer,

It was filled with restless nights & loss,

And I grieved for a life I was forced to leave,

And I questioned the cost,

And I experienced an anger,

I tried to suppress,

But just couldn’t deny any longer.

That summer,
I learned you watch sunsets,

That you’re afraid of people just like I am.

That summer,

Every day was filled with debilitating pain,

I was made to watch everyone,

While I sat alone, going insane,

Like a bird with a broken wing,

A songbird who has little energy to sing,

And I was so far off from okay.

That summer,

I learned what it means to be lost,

Truly, completely lost.

But that summer,

I heard the words I love you leave your lips,

And everything collided into an eclipse.

That summer,

We caught each other falling,

And we tore down some walls,

I made a playlist to declare my love,

I learned what it means to be in love,

I learned that hate is scary,

But love is terrifying.

That summer,

I was lost, but for the first time I felt found,

And what a lovely person to find me.

That summer,

I learned I’m not in love with loneliness,

That I rather hate it a lot.

That summer,

It should’ve been my worst,

And yet I began to heal,

I grew from some of my hurt,

I began to believe I’m lovable,

All because in you I found a right,

The only thing that’s ever felt right.

That summer,

I felt all the dangers fading away into fears,

I felt falling away all the heavy weight of my years.

That summer,

I learned what a difference not being alone makes,

During the nights spent talking in your arms.

That summer,

It was a process,

Learning how to cope,

Learning how to love,

Maintaining my hope,

But that summer I found my voice,

I learned how to be bold.

That summer,

I learned what happiness is,

And I realized I don’t hate it at all.

That summer,

I learned what happiness is.

I am not the same person that bode you a temporary farewell last year. But somehow I am more “me” than I’ve ever been before. I hope you learned something over the summer as well. I’ve learned quite a lot.

May you build a ladder to the stars,

Emma Harris