The joys of summer as a teen flew.

Heat rose from her shoulders, touched by the June sun.

They smelled smoky, but not like cigarettes,

More like the scent of a candle’s flame, or that of a dying campfire,

Mingled with the freshness of coconut and plumeria kisses.

The white streak from her suit left its mark,

As her freckled tan deepened with each summer day.

Swimming, tanning, finding ways to the beach.

Family vacations to the mountains, playing in streams, wandering dirt roads, and skipping rocks.

Such good memories, such sweet memories, of June.