summer that year was a beauty
dry and hot
we pulled our hair back in ponytails
licked popsicles
and sipped water
in between games
dandelions bloomed like promises
in the outfield
it was better than my first kiss
when i got it
less sloppy,
more dirty—
savored spent-breath,
sweaty, flush, and beaming—
the green gleaming
and i don’t remember
anything else
i got that scrap-
book year, except the spotlight
of my cleats
leaving a dusty outline planted
like petals on home plate © 2025 jennifer wagner poetic bloomings
shay’s word garden word list
sunday whirl